Christmastide
by White Mage Koorii
Summary: AU, AkuRoku; Roxas was well known for being something of a scrooge, and Axel? Well, Axel just loved Christmas and now he's convinced he should make Roxas enjoy the holiday season as well. His theme? The 12 days of christmas, of course!
1. Christmas Eve

**Words:** 1787

**Pairing(s): **Eventual AkuRoku. Various other Side pairings

**Warnings:** Boy-love (Shounen-Ai), possible kissy face later, shoddy poetry, overdose of fluff, attempts at humor, mild language, too much holiday spirit, Possible OoC Behavior.

**Disclaimer:** Kingdom Hearts, and the Final Fantasy series is property of SquareEnix and Disney, ect etc. If you recognize it, it probably belongs to someone else. Even if you don't someones probably thought of it before. If I owned any of this I wouldn't be sitting somewhere in the frozen Midwest huddled in front of a furnace vent.

**A/N: **Start of fic author note! Uhm, just to say that this fic is halfway complete as of this moment. Six chapters are fully written, though still in editing. I'm editing them before they get uploaded. Here's hoping I can keep writing ahead of my update schedule.

This fic is based on the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas, though hardly traditional. I'm not out to offend anyone by basing chapter titles and such on the Christian theology, I simply did some research for it.

Anyway this is my gift to fandom along with the other masses of Christmasfic that are being uploaded right now. So, hopefully, for the next 14 days I will upload a chapter a day until we're through.

And finally, I'd just like to give a hearty thank you to my wonderful friend Monica for encouraging me every step of the way with this fic. Thanks for reminding me that even an audience of one can be fulfilling to my artists soul. Now that the cheesy stuff is out of the way... On with the story!

**Christmas Eve**

**------**

**Tuesday, December 24****th**

_...Or, the day Scrooge met walking, talking Christmas in human form._

_------_

People, Roxas decided, were insane. That's really all there was to it. 'It' being Christmas, its trappings, and holidays in general. Roxas would be the first to admit that he was a Scrooge, and rather proud of it. He didn't let the high spirits of the holiday season turn him into a babbling, drooling, moron that screeched through stores looking for the _perfect_ gift. His brothers, in fact, were quite adamant that getting Roxas to go Christmas shopping was like pulling the teeth of an annoyed bull hippo. It just wasn't worth the effort, really.

Still Roxas wasn't enough of a bastard not to buy his friends and family _something, _and that was why he was currently out _here_. Around him the other last minute shoppers bustled: Children shrieked for sweets, and toys, and to go see _Santa_. As for Roxas? He stood in the middle of it all like a short blond road block, bundled up in an over sized black winter coat, and a scowl on his face that could make a mule run for cover. Sora would say that it had. (No one wanted to discuss that time, at the New Year's Fair with the nativity scene, and... yeah.. it was all very traumatic.)

Christmas carols were being belted out over the speakers hidden among the lofty ceilings of the mall. The stalls that lined the massive hallways overflowing with tinsel, and lights, and Christmas baubles. Wreathes, and garland were strung everywhere turning the pale white and tan innards of the sprawling multi-level building into an immense riot of Christmas everything: He suspected that even the bathrooms would be festooned with objects wishing good will, and good cheer. It wasn't working, he thought snidely, at least not for him. He was only getting crankier.

He wouldn't even have been there if he'd had a real choice in the matter. However, he still hadn't really bought anything for anyone, and so when his brother's had announced they were going to go last minute shopping he'd grudgingly given up his yearly attempt at hibernation. One year he'd actually gone through with not buying any presents, and had been hit from all sides with various reactions: Between the guilt brought on by Demyx and Sora's sad puppy eyes, and Cloud's stern 'you should be ashamed' glower, he'd decided to never repeat _that_ again.

There were four of them all-together, as mentioned. He was the youngest by a minute or two, and Sora's twin though they didn't really fit the classical image people conjured of 'twins.' Sora was the only family member who had inherited their mother's darker hair color. The rest of them had all ended up blond. Demyx was the middle son and, of course, Cloud was the oldest.

They were all over the age of eighteen by now. They'd left them the house, with instructions to Cloud to 'watch out' for his younger siblings. Then they're parents had high-tailed it to warmer climates also known as the Bahamas. They were all just fine with that, really, and better luck to them. Roxas often wished they'd taken him with them.

Don't get him wrong, he loved his brothers as much as any sibling loved their other siblings, (Conditionally, and usually when they were half way across the city, or duck taped to a chair) but two of them were well.... Menaces to society, to be polite.

"Roxaaaaas!" And there was Menace Number One, right on schedule. "You're still standing here? Come back to us, Roxas!"

A hand swished up and down through Roxas' field of vision, and he blinked once, "Demyx, if you don't pull your hand back I'm going to bite it."

"You're little brother's kinky, Dem." A vaguely familiar voice drawled, full of amusement and humor. Roxas turned scowling darkly, paused, and blinked in surprise. He was face to face with a man with vivid green eyes, and hair so red it gave Santa's suit a run for its money A red that stood out even more against the dark green coat he wore. Then said man had the audacity to wink at him! "See, my charm's left him speechless!"

Roxas' face never left its rather blank expression as he deadpanned, "You look like a Christmas tree."

Demyx broke down laughing. The red head blinked, obviously trying to decide whether or not to be insulted and then let a slow grin spread across his face, "What can I say? I love the Christmas season!"

Roxas scoffed and turned to Demyx, "I don't know where you picked up the idiot, or why you're here but..."

"Aww, I'm hurt! You don't remember me?" Roxas' flat stare was obviously answer enough. "I'm Axel, remember? A-X-E-L? Ringing any bells?"

Roxas stared for several minutes. The phrase 'Got it memorized?' bounced around the back of his head. "Right, no." Turning back to Demyx he gave an impatient look. "You're here why?"

"Well, Cloud told me to come and help you with your shopping because we all know..." Roxas tuned him out at that point, staring blankly at a cheerful display of fat singing Santas and Snowmen somewhere to the left. Demyx finally wound down with a, "... and so I'm going to help you do your shopping!"

"Demyx," Roxas said in a sweet tone that only the vilest of evil (and 5 year old girls) could manage. "Go die."

"Aww, c'mon Roxas where's you're Christmas spirit?" That annoying voice from the void also known as 'Axel' interrupted.

Roxas glared at him, "Christmas is a disease and I was inoculated at birth!" With that the blond turned and stomped off, scattering the crowd before him in the same way a rampaging rhino cleared the Savannah.

"Ever heard of being nice?" Axel hollered after him, garnering a few weird looks.

Roxas didn't even look back as he replied, "That's a communicable disease right? I get my shots for that yearly, with my flu vaccine!"

Axel laughed, clearly amused by the blond's prickly nature, "Wow, what a scrooge!"

"BAH, HUMBUG!" With that final exclamation Roxas finally vanished from view, heading deeper into the cavernous depths of the mall.

Demyx fidgeted beside Axel a bit and the red head craned his neck, staring after the departed younger blond for several seconds longer before looking toward Demyx, "He always like that?"

Demyx shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "Yeah... He's pretty infamous for it, really. You weren't here before, though so I guess you wouldn't know..."

Axel had just moved to the city within the last year or so to live with his older brother and attend the university there. That was how he'd met Demyx. "So, what's his problem? Didn't get the pony he wanted as a kid?"

Demyx shrugged again, "Nah, he's just always been like that. Never liked Christmas much. Sora on the other hand... He decked Riku once when he told him that Santa wasn't real."

"Riku? As in stuck-at-the-hip-bestest-best-friends-ever Riku?"

"That's the one. We tried to get Roxas involved a few times... Sora and I dragged him out caroling with us a few years back, but all he did was sing _What is Christmas_ at the top of his lungs." Demyx took out a small notebook, and flipped it open. Axel surmised he had everything he needed to buy written on that list. He still wasn't sure whether it was because Demyx was forgetful (as most people surmised) or because he just liked to be organized.

"Anyone ever tried just making the season enjoyable for him?" Axel asked after a moment.

Demyx snapped the notebook closed with a soft _fwap_, "If they have, they haven't succeeded..." He glanced nervously at Axel, taking in the slow grin spreading over his friends face again. "Axeeeel... What are you planning now?"

"Well... I've got an idea."

"That's what scares me."

Demyx, however, didn't protest as Axel dragged him off.

_------_

Roxas shouldered open the front door and stomped into the house, his bags firmly in hand. Behind him he could hear Cloud's low voice and the higher tones of Demyx' excited chatter as they hauled in their own shopping bags. Sora had stayed home, as was tradition, to trim the tree standing proudly in the corner of the living room. He paused just inside the front door to take off his coat and shoes before stepping gingerly around the puddle of melted snow that had formed.

He could hear laughter from his twin and his two friends. As he passed the doorway to the living room he could see them: Kairi sitting on Sora's shoulders so she could place a vibrant yellow star on top of the tree. Sora had insisted on a Disney theme this year. The other 1/3rd of the group was sprawled out on the sofa giving directions ("A little to the left, no the other left!"), and laughing as Sora swayed precariously (and exaggeratedly) causing the sole female among them to squeal and laugh. Roxas snorted softly, and took the stairs two at a time.

Demyx grinned watching Roxas' back disappear off the landing, and down the hall toward his bedroom then practically bounced into the living room. "Hey! Hey, guys!"

Kairi finally managed to get the star on the top of the tree, and waved at him, "Demyyyyy!"

Sora turned and wobbled forward which caused Kairi to squeal and pull on his hair sharply in reprimand, "Back already? What'd you get me? Did you get me lots of presents? And cookies?! Sprinkles? You better have gotten some sprinkles! I might die if there aren't any red and green sprinkles!"

Riku snorted, "You say that every year, Sora."

"It's _true_ every year!" A snort came from somewhere near the doorway followed by the sound of something hard and plastic hitting someones skull. Sora yelped, and stared down at the bottle of sprinkles at his feet.

"Why don't you let Kairi down, Demyx has something he wants to tell you about." Cloud drawled.

Indeed, the entire time Demyx had been squirming about like an excited puppy about to soil the nice new carpet. So, Sora did as told before grabbing the bottle of sprinkles and diving onto the couch (which caused Riku to yell). Kairi jumped over a moment later and grabbed the bottle of sprinkles before Sora could upend the entire thing into his mouth. There followed a short squabble between the three, which finally culminated in Riku getting the prize and tossing it back to Cloud.

Once everyone was settled, they turned all eyes on Demyx who grinned eagerly, "All right, so here's the deal... You all remember my friend Axel, right? Well he had this idea, and...."


	2. The First Day

**Words:** 4292

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays everyone!

**On the First Day....**

------

**Wednesday, December 25****th**

_...Or, that's not a Christmas present! That's what you give the sick, or grandma!_

------

To say Reno was bemused would be highly accurate. It wasn't everyday he woke up to find his brother sitting at the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room in their little apartment. In fact, Axel generally liked to sleep in late. Reno didn't think Axel even knew seven AM existed. Given, Reno himself preferred not to know ten am existed, let alone seven, but life didn't allow him that luxury most of the time. Still, none of that changed the fact that there Axel was, sitting on a stool working on _something_ that apparently involved a lot of red and green ribbon, and the ignoring of a bowl of fruit loops. Judging by how soggy those fruit loops were he'd apparently been working on it for quite some time. He was humming what sounded an awful lot like _Santa Claus is Coming to Town_.

Reno rolled his eyes, "What... is that?" Though, judging by the look Axel gave him it probably sounded more like 'Wurrt gizzat?' Not exactly the best morning greeting.

"It's a present." Axel responded, turning back to his ribbons and cellophane.

"Didn't Grandma die?" The words were out before he'd even really thought of them and Axel snorted at him in that way that said he was trying really, really hard not to laugh. Reno glared.

"Yeah, and as I recall she tried to take you with her... What was it she said? 'You good for nothin' loud mouth grandson of mine! I ought to kick your ass all the way to hell with me!'"

Reno sighed fondly, "I always was Granny's favorite. Oh, coffee!"

Axel laughed, dragging a card closer, and began to pen a message of some sort inside while the other red head fawned over the coffee machine, "Granny's also the reason you swore you'd never marry."

"And Mama's the reason you swore off women, yo."

The two shared a glance and chorused, "There's just somethin' about this family that turns women mad."

Axel closed the card, and stuffed it into an envelope onto which he scrawled a name. "So," Reno drawled, "Who's that monstrosity for? You must hate them a lot."

Axel laughed cheerfully, "Nah, its nothing like that."

"...What'd you set on fire this time?"

"I didn't do anything!"

Reno gave him A Look.

"I swear, it's nothing like that. I'm just being a good little elf and bringing some Christmas cheer to someone." Axel grabbed his things and headed toward the door. "I'm going to go deliver this now." Halfway out the door he leaned back and grinned wickedly, "By the way, Mom called earlier. She said if you don't call her by 10 she's going to come up here herself and reeducate you in the value of family and holidays!" With a final cheerful wave Axel disappeared out the door. The only things he left behind was the mess on the counter, and the fading tune of _Grandma got Run Over By a Reindeer_ whistled slightly off key. Reno was too busy running for the phone to notice either.

------

Roxas was woken the same exact way he had been woken up every Christmas morning since he was four years old: The door slammed open, his blankets were ripped off him, and a heavy weight fell across his back. A second later a voice, Sora's, was screaming in his ear, "ITS CHRISTMAS!!!"

Really, his family wondered _what_ he had against Christmas? Other than the fact it disturbed his sleep at... Roxas lifted his head (even as Sora thundered off in hopes of catching the other two still in bed after that bellow) and stared blearily at the glaring red numbers of the digital clock on his bedside table: 6:00 am. Roxas moaned and buried his head back into his pillow, clamping his hands over the back of his head and digging his fingers into his hair.

He could hear the cursing as Cloud stomped moodily down the hall, accompanied by the chatter of Demyx (Stupid morning people ought to be _shot_), and maybe he'd get to go back to... "ROXAS!" Sora was back.

Roxas lifted his head enough to growl, "Go. Fire. Die now." and flip his obnoxious twin the bird before slumping back down into his pillow with an incoherent mumble.

Sora had the audacity to _laugh_ at him, "Come _on_, Roxas. Get up!"

Roxas grumbled something uncomplimentary, and within seconds Sora was over tugging on his arm and attempting to pull him out of his bed. "F'koff, S'ra!"

Then he fell over the edge of his bed and landed in a heap on the floor. Sora was laughing somewhere above him, and Roxas lay there stunned, with a face full of carpet for all of ten seconds before he was up and attempting to strangle the brunette. Sora tore out of the room at record speeds with the half-naked blond right behind him yelling about how many ways he was going to kill him, mutilate his corpse, and then dispose of the evidence. Roxas took a flying leap off the third to last step of the stairs, and nearly succeeded in flattening Sora, but the brunette got lucky and skidded around the corner into the kitchen in the nick of time.

The blond tore into the kitchen after Sora, only to be grabbed by the neck. He gave a yelp of surprise as his momentum was arrested and looked up to meet the bland gaze of his eldest brother who, without a word, steered him toward the doorway again, "Go get dressed." Without further ado Roxas was shoved back out into the hallway, and Cloud drifted back into the kitchen.

Huffing the blond peered around the doorway and gave Sora a pointed glare. The aforementioned, who was crouched beneath the kitchen table, stuck his tongue out at him and grinned one of his shit-eating grins. Roxas mentally vowed revenge as he trooped back upstairs. All in all it was just another average morning; with the exception of the Christmas carols blaring from the radio in the kitchen, and the gaudy garland strung through the halls and over the banisters.

Several minutes later he returned to the kitchen only to stop in the doorway and ponder if he could make it to the border before anyone noticed he was missing. Oh, sure, this happened often... It always, _always_ occurred on Christmas, but it was still absolutely _horrifying_.

Sora and Demyx were making pancakes.

The batter was supposed to be easy to use: Simply poor it from the jug and cook dah, pancake! Despite that the two of them always managed to get covered in batter. Right now it looked like someone had tried finger painting on the cupboard doors with it. Cloud was sitting in the corner of the room with cup of coffee, and a day or two old newspaper with a scowl on his face. Roxas decided it was prudent to join the eldest of his siblings, "Why...are they being allowed to cook unsupervised?"

"Technically they aren't unsupervised."

"That's not the point."

"It's keeping them busy, isn't it?"

Roxas couldn't argue with that, and promptly attempted to steal Cloud's coffee. He was smacked upside the head with the newspaper for his efforts. Scowling, he decided to get a soda instead. He wasn't all that fond of coffee anyway, and he wasn't sure he wanted to trust the coffee at this point. Casting a wary glance toward his siblings he hurried to the fridge, grabbed his can of soda and retreated before he could be noticed.

Mission success!

Roxas sunk down in his chair and savored the serenity. Well, as serene as loud yelps and hoots of laughter accompanied by clattering cookware could be.

------

Breakfast passed relatively well once it was actually on their plates (Bacon, pancakes... food of the gods). It went great, until Roxas accidentally on purpose (Sora getting hit with a pancake was the 'on purpose' part, the accidentally came in with the fact that he'd been aiming for his _head_) dropped an entire, syrup covered pancake onto Sora's lap. Revenge was _sweet_, pun intended.

In the end they still hadn't figured out how that pancake had ended up stuck to the ceiling. So, there the four of them stood staring up at the mysterious pancake when the phone started ringing. Sora was off like a shot yelling that he'd get it.

"Maybe it was when Sora was trying to stuff the syrup bottle down Roxas' pants?" Demyx hazarded. "I mean, Roxas did have a pancake in hand then..."

Roxas scowled, "Or maybe its from when you tackled Cloud, and smashed that other pancake into his face."

Cloud, dripping maple syrup and bits of pancake, _Scowled._ "Could be from when _you_ climbed onto the table and ended up kicking the plate at Demyx, who then threw one into the air."

"No, no, that one ended up over there. I remember because it had strawberry jam on it."

All three swung around to stare at the pancake attached to one of the cupboards. It was leaving a trail, like a snail, down the wooden door.

Demyx pouted, "What a waste of good jam."

"No, no, every thing's going great." Sora was back, the cordless cradled to his ear. Somehow he'd managed to escape the majority of sticky condiments. Sora was obnoxiously good at escaping unscathed from things. He took a moment to exaggeratedly mouth 'It's Mom' at them. "Yeah, we got them. No we just finished breakfast..."

The last couple years since they're parents had moved to the Bahamas they had come home for major holidays. This year they'd decided to forgo the pleasure and go on a cruise.

"Yeah, love you too. Have fun!"

The phone was handed over to Cloud who gingerly held it to his ear after prying his syrup covered spikes out of the way. "Hello." Frowning he meandered a short distance away, "No. We're trying. Yeah, a friend of Demyx' had an idea... Right. I will."

Roxas suspected he'd used up his conversation skills for the day, and Cloud obviously agreed since he handed the phone off to Demyx ("Hi mom!") and went back to scowling at that pancake on the ceiling. ("...There may have been a problem with the pancakes...") Maybe he thought that he'd be able to remove it with the power of his glare. Like a strange sort of super hero... Pancake man! ("Coconuts? Really? A coconut bra... Moooom! I didn't want to know that!") Roxas and Sora traded glances, they'd obviously had similar thoughts. Roxas nobly refrained from laughing like a loon... for all of ten seconds before Sora cracked and took him with.

Cloud looked caught somewhere between trying to murder them, or just making them clean the whole thing up themselves. Which was worse was anyones guess. Roxas had never been so pleased to have Demyx try and shove the cordless phone up his nostrils than he was at that point, and he grabbed it and made good on his escape into the living room.

"Hello if this is a Christmas related complaint press one, if this is a general complaint press two, if this is to tell me how wonderful I am leave a message and..."

"_Love you to."_ His mother drawled, much too used to his attitude to be bothered. She'd once told him that she was his mother, and therefore _had_ to be used to it. His dad just said he got his attitude problem from her. _"So, your brothers say things are going well up there."_

"Well enough."

"_You haven't kicked any plastic light up Santas?"_

"No."

"_Knocked over the neighbor kids' snowmen?"_

"Not yet."

"_Attempted to flush Sora's Rudolph plush?"_

"Not since I was five."

"_Good boy."_

"Arf Arf." He could hear the sound of a horn blowing somewhere in the background that conjured mental images of the big cruise liners that he often saw on T.V. Commercials.

"_Well, your fathers trying to get my attention. I think it's time to board. So I'll talk to you later, sweetie. Try to enjoy the holidays for a change."_

"I make no promises."

"_Just don't kill and, or maim anyone... Or end up in jail, okay?"_

"I'll try."

"_That's all I ask. Tell your brothers I love them. Bye, kiddo."_

"Yeah, sure. Bye, Mom." There was a click as she hung up, and he dropped the phone back into its cradle before wandering back toward the kitchen. He was about to step inside when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Oh, something loved him today: Fate, destiny, some sort of finicky deity... Whatever it was, it loved him. Turning his back on the sight of his brothers squabbling over who would have to try and get the pancake off the ceiling, he walked back down the hall.

Opening the door he was about to tell whoever it was to get lost (I mean, really, not even Riku and Kairi came over on Christmas and they were like Sora's ducklings!) only to find there wasn't anyone there. Roxas' hate for the holiday went up a couple of points. About to slam the door and head back in he happened to glance down, and froze.

"What the hell?" There was a _fruit basket,_ of all things, sitting on their doormat. _A fruit basket!_ What was this? The hospital? Stepping out to examine the anomaly he noticed there was a bright red envelope taped to the cellophane, upon which his named had been scrawled in quick, spiky writing. Someone sent him a _fruit basket!_ Roxas stared in dumbfounded befuddlement.

"Roxas. Door." Even Cloud's gruff commands couldn't drag him out of his baffled stupor. "What are you... Is that a fruit basket?" Cloud had apparently joined him in his staring.

"Appears to be."

He was nearly knocked to his knees when Demyx hit the back of them, slinging his arms awkwardly around their shoulders and peering over Roxas', "Ooooh, someone likes you Roxas!"

Sora attempted to wriggle through the door, failed, and ended up try to climb Demyx' back with limited success. Needless to say, Roxas ended up with his twin's chin on his head, and his hand digging into his shoulder. Demyx was making little coughing sounds so he supposed he wasn't much better off, "Bring it in! Bring it in! C'moooon, bringitin!"

Roxas momentarily wondered what the neighbors would think if they happened to glance out and see the four of them squished in the doorway; staring at a basket of fruit like they needed a bomb squad. Then he remembered the neighbors already knew they were insane, and would just shrug it off with an exasperated 'Oh, _them.' _Shrugging the blond took a step forward (Ignoring the sound of his brothers yelping as they attempted to retain some semblance of balance, and there was an odd _thud_ that sounded like someones head hitting the door frame.) and grabbed the cellophane wrapped basket.

Once inside he placed it on the coffee table and dropped onto the sofa. The envelope came away with a crackle, and it was then that he noticed something _odd _about the fruit basket. Most fruit baskets contained a variety of fruit: Apples, Bananas, Oranges, and so on. This one didn't. It only had one variety of fruit, Pears, and sitting in the middle of a nest of them was a stuffed bird that vaguely resembled a partridge.

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree!" Demyx sing-songed.

"They forgot the tree," retorted Roxas as he slit open the bright red envelope and pulled out the card within. The front was decorated with a variety of objects all pertaining to the _Twelve Days of Christmas_ song. He flipped it open, and beneath the normal printed 'Merry Christmas!' was a written note:

_The tree wouldn't fit, _

_The Partridge flew away_

_Hope you enjoy your holiday!_

_Your Secret Santa_

Roxas didn't know whether to laugh or cry. On one hand this was too hilarious for words, on the other he felt like he had a stalker. Instead he just said, "Secret Santa? Seriously?"

Demyx grinned, "Wonder if that means you'll get more."

Roxas glared.

------

Axel breezed back into the apartment with a wide grin on his face, "Mission accomplished!" he crowed triumphantly.

Reno snorted from where he was lounging on the sofa, "So, what the hell are you up to anyway?"

"You know my friend Demyx?"

"Cloud's little bro, right?"

"Yeah, well one of their younger brothers is a bit of a scrooge..."

Reno propped himself up with one elbow to peer over the back of the couch at Axel as the younger red head divested himself of boots and coat, "That's an understatement if I've ever heard one."

"You know him?"

"Vaguely. I met him through Cloud a few times.... What are you doing to the kid?" Reno suddenly sent a suspicious glare toward his younger brother.

Axel gasped, pressing his fingertips to his chest, "Me? Why would you even say such a thing!" Reno snorted, and Axel gave him a sidelong look for several seconds. "No, I'm not 'doing' anything to him... More for him."

"Axel..."

"Hey, hey, this has the full approval of his brothers, okay? It's nothing bad! Have some faith in me will ya?"

"Even Cloud? 'Cause I'm not gonna save your ass if he tries to take you apart, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, even Mr. If-I-Crack-A-Smile-My-Face-Will-Fall-Off Cloud. Shove over." This last bit, of course, was directed at Reno's feet. Reno just made a show of getting more comfortable on the couch, and smirked at the other red head. Axel propped a fist on one hip and appeared to contemplate the problem, then shrugged and dropped onto the couch anyway.

"Geddoff!" Reno yelped, and gave a sharp kick of his legs which sent Axel sprawling onto the floor.

"Asshole!" Axel barked.

"S'what you get, dumbass!"

There followed a short, vicious fight for possession of the couch. It ended with Axel sitting on the floor, back against the said couch upon which Reno was smugly reclined. Axel crossed his arms and drew one leg up, pouting grandly, "You _always_ get the couch!"

"I'm older it's my right, little bro." Axel stuck his tongue out. "Oh yeah, thats real mature, Ax."

"Hey, if you get to pull that 'I'm _oooolder'," _here he used a mocking, whiny voice. "crap then I can be immature!"

Reno kicked him lightly in the head, "Anyway, what's this plan you've got cooked up?"

"_Well_....Basically the plan is to try and make the holidays fun, y'know? Make him enjoy it, and get over that _grinchitude._ It won't hurt him." He didn't want to think about the way Cloud had grabbed his collar, practically lifted him off the ground, and threatened him with a fate worse than death by castration if he did anything to upset or hurt his little brother. Axel expected he'd have nightmares for weeks to come. "Wasn't really sure how I was gonna do that, then I heard that _Twelve Days of Christmas_ song, and used that for inspiration. Now I just gotta pull it off."

Reno broke out laughing. All Axel managed to get out of him was a garbled, 'Does that make you True Love?' He smacked Reno upside the head with the closest couch cushion, but Reno just kept on howling.

------

Roxas wasn't exactly sure what he was doing here. Okay, so, he knew why he was here in general. This is where he lived after all, so it wasn't that uncommon that he'd be standing on the porch of this particular house. What he didn't understand was how Sora had (once again, this had happened pretty much every year since Sora discovered snow) managed to get all of them into their boots and coats, and outside. It was blinding, and cold, and that's really all Roxas could tell at the moment. The term _snow blind_ came to mind. It seemed the sun had turned the fresh layer of snowfall into an eye searing horror story of glitter, and sparkles, and pure _whiteness_. It offended Roxas on a base level.

Then he was shoved forward by a hand against his back, and plopped face first into the snowbank off the edge of the porch. He didn't move for what seemed like a full minute. Then slowly rolled over to stare up into the smirking face of his eldest brother. Wait, wait... Roxas could only stare. Had _Cloud_ seriously just... _Cloud_ of all people? He wasn't looking so smug once Roxas hit him in the face with a snowball!

Needless to say things degenerated fast after that. By the time the four of them trooped back into the house the yard had been turned into a mishmash of snowy piles, and troughs from their rough housing. Sora's unit of snowmen had been systematically taken out in a spectacular coup de tat that left them all red faced from the cold and good humor.

The front hall was full of melting snow, wet spots, and dripping coats from the snow, being tracked in. All of them smirking, or smiling, or laughing as their natures dictated. Sora was shoving at Roxas shoulder and whining at him for ruining his snowmen, while Demyx laughed about the handful of snow he'd shoved down Cloud's back.

They ended up in the kitchen once more, and set about making hot cocoa. The kitchen as supper was made was much calmer than breakfast had been. Roxas and Cloud doing most of the 'making' while Sora and Demyx lounged nearby chasing the tiny marshmallows around their cups. Outside the first few flakes of a Christmas night snowfall drifted past the windows.

------

Balled up wrapping paper littered the floor, and newly opened gifts were piled on the coffee table: Their packaging ripped open so they could be explored. A cellphone lay among it, fresh from calls to different relatives to wish them a Merry Christmas, and thank them for the gifts they sent (and make promises to try and come visit next year, in his mother's case.) Axel was curled at one end of the sofa, a spiral notebook propped on his knees as he scribbled away. Though more often than not he spent time staring into space contemplatively. He didn't even notice the plate of pizza Reno was waving in front of his nose until the older red head tsk'd at him impatiently. He grinned lopsidedly and accepted the food, "Thanks man."

"Eh, whatever." Reno dropped back onto the sofa at the other end and grabbed the remote,"What're you working on anyway?"

"Just trying to plan out possibilities for the next few days, y'know? It's gonna take some forward planning and all that if I wanna pull it off."

Reno gave him a look, though he didn't say anything as he was currently attempting to cram half a slice of pizza in his mouth.

"What? I can plan ahead... Sometimes."

"What's so special about this guy thats got you doing this?" Reno asked, his voice muffled and garbled.

"Other than he's the brother of one of my friends and I adore Christmas? Nothing. That's it."

"Yeah, sure."

"It is. Really!"

"Eh."

"Says the guy who's watching _It's a Wonderful Life_. Again."

"I wasn't watching it! It was just on."

"You use that excuse every year."

"Shut up, Axel."

"Shut up, Reno." They were quiet for several seconds, glaring at each other over slices of pizza while James Stewart droned on in the background. "I can't figure out what to do for day three."

"Wassat?"

"Three French hens."

"Yeah, I don't think we could get our aunts here that fast."

"We have French aunts?"

"S'what they say."

"Huh."

More silence ensued, and then Reno spoke up, "I've got an idea... See, they always have a get together a few days after Christmas. A gift exchange, y'know."

"Yeah, Demyx mentioned it to me."

"It's Friday. Your day three, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I've got an idea for you."

Axel immediately perked up, "Oh yeah?"

------

The living room was awash with a sea of brightly colored wrapping paper: It had been torn and flung to the four winds without thought. New things littered the area in separate piles, rising like mountains from the ocean of red and green, and navy. The room itself was dark, though it was lit by the ever changing pulse of the lights decorating the tree. Flickering from red, to blue, to white; sometimes frenetic, sometimes slow and soothing. It created an almost surreal atmosphere.

Cloud was sitting in the window seat by the picture window examining the authentic recreation civil war calvary saber he'd gotten (most likely from their father, who amused himself by indulging his eldest's interest in swords), while Demyx lounged on the couch playing a game he'd gotten on his hand held. Sora meanwhile was directly in front of the television, hogging an entire bowl of popcorn while he watched the classic Rudolph claymation, his gifts scattered around him, and nearly lost to sight among the wrapping paper.

Roxas himself sat near the back of the room, content to sit in a shadowy armchair and watch his siblings. Outside the snow drifted down faster. Blanketing the lawn which had been broken and pitted by their earlier rough housing. In his hand he idly tossed one of the pears that had arrived in the fruit basket up and down, before taking a bite out of it with a slight smirk.

That night when he went to bed the stuffed partridge was perched on his headboard.


	3. The Second Day

**Words:** 4172

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **This is chapter is brought to you by Adlibs! No, really. I had people give me a list of items, and a few actions and just wrote off that for most of it. It proved insanely fun, and because of this its one of the longest chapters. Anyway, more Axel/Roxas interaction next chapter! Also, does anyone else get the vague feeling I was parodying the plot of KH in this one? If only there had been an encounter with Sephiroth, eh?

**On the Second Day....**

------

**Thursday, December 26****th**

_...Or, the soldiers that went marching two by two never had to face an enemy like this._

_------_

That morning found Demyx sitting in the living room examining the surfboard their mother had gotten him for Christmas ("A surfboard, really? What's he going to do with it? Snow surf?") while Sora attempted to beat something into submission on some game. He was currently mashing the hell out of the buttons on his controller with a look of intense concentration on his face. Roxas wandered by into the kitchen basking in the wonder of post-Christmas quiet. It was rare that his two more extroverted brothers were so... out of his hair. The sound of clinking could be heard from the kitchen, and he found Cloud rummaging around the refrigerator. Judging by the state of the other cupboards (some half-open, others cracked slightly as though they'd rebounded after being closed sharply) he'd been at it for awhile.

"Cloud?" he asked, staring in bemusement. "We out of stuff?"

"Yeah... There's nothing." Cloud stepped back and closed the refrigerator with a snap. "Unless you want a tub of butter."

"Uh... No thanks, thats okay...." He stood there for several seconds, and came to the only conclusion that could be made. "We're going to have to go shopping... Is there even any stores open today?"

"Sure."

"Did I hear something about shopping?" Demyx warbled as he popped around the corner with Sora at his heels.

"Are we out of food again?" Sora moaned.

Cloud grunted noncommittally while Roxas drawled an answer, "Apparently..." Sighing he turned and began to head off. "All right lets go brave the post-holiday masses. I'll get the pepper spray, Demyx get the cattle prod, Cloud find the bull whip, Sora I think we'll need a shark cage...." His voice trailed off into muffled mumbling as he moved farther away still giving out absurd commands.

The other three split off as well, though Demyx lingered behind for a moment as he pulled out his cellphone, flipped it open, and hit a button to speed dial a certain red head.

------

"Axel! Answer your damn phone!" Reno barked.

Axel's arm shot out of the nest of blankets he was cocooned in and began groping around the floor in search of his phone. He was pretty sure he'd dropped it there last night. When he finally found it he flipped it open and placed it on his ear, letting gravity keep it there, "'Lo."

"_Hey, Axel. It's Demyx!"_

"'Kay."

"_... Did I wake you?"_

"Nope."

"_Okay good, because--"_

"M'still sleepin'..."

"_--we're getting ready to head out to the store and I was wondering if you had anything planned..."_

"Yeah, thanks."

"_No problem!"_

Demyx was way too chirpy to deal with in the morning. Axel snapped his phone closed and listened for several seconds: He could hear Reno cursing in the bathroom, "Hey, Reno?"

"What?" There followed a series of words that should never be repeated in polite company.

Axel snorted, "Y'know that stuff on the counter?"

"Y'mean your gift to woo fair maiden?" Axel could hear the shit-eating grin in his voice.

"I'd like to see you say that to his face." He could just imagine the vicious scowl that would receive. "Anyway, drop it off for me will you?"

"I ain't cupid!" Reno sounded properly aghast at the very idea.

"And you're going out anyway, so stop bitching."

"And you need your beauty sleep, right?"

Normally Reno worked the night shift as a security guard at one of the big companies, but he was picking up a day shift so that a coworker could spend the day with family and as he'd had the day off yesterday he saw no reason to refuse. Axel just grinned as he sunk back down into the comfort of his pillows and blankets. Still, as he heard the door slam a few moments later he knew Reno would do it.

------

Roxas knew as soon as those doors swished open in front of him that this had been a Very Bad Idea. Oh, don't get him wrong, he'd known it was a bad idea from the moment he realized they'd have to go shopping; but the full meaning of it didn't hit him until right then. In his mind he could almost envision it as a movie: The camera would do one of those dramatic fast zooms in from the back of the store to him, standing there at the doors looking horrified. Who could blame him, though? It was _awful_, as far as Roxas was concerned.

The store was one of those big, sprawling super markets with enough food to supply a third world country for several months. To make matters worse it had decorative garlands all over the place with overly chipper Christmas carols being piped through the speakers. Speakers that had enough fake holly taped to them that they'd look out of place anywhere but the wilderness.

Sora's hands descended on his shoulders and pushed him, walking behind him to usher him, forward. He attempted to dig his heels in, "No."

"Sorry, Roxas, but we need food." Sora explained in that slow, overly patient voice people used on toddlers, elderly people, and the insane.

"Can't I just wait in the car?" Roxas asked weakly.

"So you can drive off and leave us here?" Cloud drawled dryly.

Roxas huffed in protest, "I did that once!"

"Once was enough."

Roxas pouted, but allowed Sora to steer him forward while Demyx bounced off to grab a cart from the queue.

So there they stood, like four soldiers about ready to take on an entire army: It didn't matter that, that army consisted of bedraggled Mothers screaming about layaway and their wailing two year olds wanting the latest sticky candy, or overpriced toy. Demyx gripped the handle bar of the cart and gulped, Sora peeped around Roxas shoulder, and Cloud stood like an exasperated General who knew his troops were sub par, but was resigned to dealing with what he had. Roxas, for his part, was feeling a bit exposed and was rather hoping he could crawl into a hole. He stood there stiffly, frozen, rying to remember how one dealt with shoppers: Was it like a T-Rex, or Grizzlies?

There was a long screech that sounded like it would be more at home in the subsonic levels only dogs could hear and then a voice so bored, but harried, it sounded stuck between constipated and death spoke, _"Price check on Aisle 6 for KY Jel." _There were several seconds where there seemed to be a swell of absolute silence through the entire store, broken only by awkward coughs and the screaming of an unhappy child.

"Right," Cloud coughed. "Let's get this over with." With that the eldest of them strode off with a purposeful gait, while the noise level rose again.

"That was the worst battle cry ever." Roxas complained, trooping after his siblings and wondering if he could get Demyx to let him ride in the cart.

------

Axel was drifting in that lovely place in between sleeping and waking. He was warm, he was comfy, and life was wonderful. He could probably stay here forever, just half asleep and content... And there was this loud _thumping_ coming from somewhere nearby. He raised his head staring around groggily. Silence met his ears. It must have just been his imagination... He was nearly asleep again when he thought he heard a creak Axel blinked blearily, nuzzling his pillow, and is bed shook suddenly, like someone had kicked it. The redhead groaned in protest.

That was when it happened, a saccharine voice cooed, "Awww, isn't he cute.. All half asleep, and lost to the world. Like a wittle baby angel!"

Axel pushed himself up like he'd been electrocuted. Whipping around he came face to face with one of his blond haired neighbors. Larxene stood there grinning at him with a look better suited to a shark. Axel promptly scuttled backward as far as he could, until he was stopped by the wall, his blankets gathered around him and up to his chin. It was then that he noticed the video camera she had in her hand.

Larxene lived in a nearby apartment with her little sister, Namine, and her little sisters best friend Kairi. She was dead set on being a director, writer, and actress (not necessarily in that order), and would do just about whatever it took to get what she wanted. Axel personally thought she'd make a better lawyer.

"Hello Axel, love, how are you this morning?" She cooed again, in that overly sweet voice. While Larxene had a fiancé (A botanist named Marluxia who was currently off globe trotting for some reason. Axel could never listen to the explanation that long.) she wasn't beyond flirting with him.

"What the hell, Larxene!?" Axel managed after several moments of his best fish impression.

Larxene pouted, "What kind of greeting is that? You should be pleased to wake up to such a beautiful woman!"

Axel sputtered, "Its more like waking up to the Bride of Chucky!"

"Ooooh, you break my heart."

"What heart? Do you mind?"

Larxene gave him her best leer, which was honestly about the same as her shark like smile, "Awww, what's the matter Ax-babe, don't wanna show off for the camera?"

"I have nothing against the camera. In fact I'm sure it's a very nice camera... The person holding it, however..."

Larxene laughed and pointed to her chest, "Right here, Ax, right here." So, he threw one of his pillows at her, missing by a mile as she quickly flounced out of the room cackling.

Shortly Axel shuffled out of his room to find Larxene leaning against the counter between the kitchen and the living room, having helped herself to a soda, the camera sitting innocuously at her elbow.

"What," he asked, "idiot bought you that?"

"Mar did!" She chirped.

Axel sighed, "It figures..." He was quiet while he rooted around in the refrigerator for a soda, upon stepping back he paused and seemed to realize something. "Why the hell are you in our apartment?"

She grinned beatifically in answer.

Axel scowled, "Didn't your parents ever teach you to knock?"

"I did! No one answered."

"That generally means no ones home, or that company is unwanted."

Larxene snorted in a very unladylike fashion and shrugged, "It was unlocked."

Axel sighed sounding very put upon, and Larxene simply smirked at him.

------

They were in the produce department, and Cloud was examining a bunch of strawberries. Roxas sighed, and kept an eye on Sora who was bouncing on the balls of his feet like a puppy with ADD. A giggling gaggle of girls was hovering around an island of zucchini, lettuce, and tomatoes to the left, and Roxas could swear they'd been stalking them since the Frozen Foods section. He eyed them nervously and edged closer to Demyx who was leaning on the cart handle, staring at an entire wall of chip and vegetable dip with a glazed expression.

"Dem." Roxas hissed. "_Demyx!_"

Demyx jumped, then glanced over at him, "Huh?"

"I think we're being stalked, they seem to want our souls and--"

"Where's Sora?"

"What?" Roxas looked back toward where his twin had been a few seconds ago only to find the brunette had disappeared. "...Shit."

Demyx got a pained look on his face as he whipped his head around, searching the ever shifting crowds for the missing twin. Unable to find him, he looked at Roxas, "We'd best go find him..." He murmured weakly.

"Right. Where should we start?" Just then the loud screech sounded again and a polite cool voice began extolling the virtues of peanut butter, and how they were having an After-Christmas sale on it. "Peanut butter it is... Where the hell do they keep the peanut butter around this place?" With that Roxas marched off into the crowds with Demyx at his heels.

Cloud turned from his meticulous examination of the strawberries at last, "Theses are good. Lets... Guys? ...Goddammit."

------

They'd found the peanut butter, but they hadn't found Sora. In fact the aisle was empty of anyone but for a single old woman in carpet slippers who was peering in a near sighted manner at the labels of Jiffy. Roxas scowled thoughtfully at the scuffed tile floor, "He could be anywhere..."

"Or, he could be right there..." Demyx hazarded weakly.

Roxas glanced up in time to see Sora wander by the opposite end of the aisle heading off deeper into the wilds of the store. "Sora!" He was ignored. Of course he was ignored, that would have been easy! The two of them jogged to the end of the aisle, and around a display of marshmallow cream... No Sora. "Wait... Is that him there?"

Demyx craned his neck, trying to get a good look... and then the two were swallowed in a crowd of gibbering people who were apparently very intent on buying this on-sale peanut butter. They were buffeted and tugged as they fought to go forward, or even stay in the same place they had started. By the time the herd had passed Sora was long gone, and they were left standing there: Roxas' hair spikier than usual, and Demyx' loosing its ability to stand.

The bedraggled duo exchanged glances. "He disappeared into the bread aisle," said Demyx. Roxas nodded and jogged down the row to the bread aisle and turned into it.

------

Meanwhile Cloud scowled at a wall of meat products: From breakfast ham to bologna. Really, did society need all of this? He was just reaching for a packet of bacon when a giggly voice spoke up from beside him, "Hello."

Cloud jerked away, automatically taking a step back and turning to be faced with a black haired girl, with big brown eyes (and a gaggle of her friends in the background whispering frantically.) "...."

She giggled again, "What's the matter? Don't talk?"

Without a word he grabbed the bacon, tossed it in the cart and dragged the thing forcefully after him as he attempted to ignore the girl. He didn't have time for this, nor was he in the mood for dealing with it.

------

The bread aisle was empty but for the intimidating shelves of, well, bread: Wheat, and Rye, and White, and Pumpernickel, and breads with nuts, and breads with fruit, and... well there was a lot of bread. Roxas jogged down it to the other end, and peered around the edge: He caught a glimpse of his brother disappearing into another aisle "He went into the canned foods!"

"Oh man, I'm not meant for this kind of work!" Demyx whined from beside him.

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Shut up, the sooner we find him the sooner we can get out of here."

He wasn't in canned food either.

------

The dark haired girl seemed to have given up, though she and her flock of friends appeared to be _stalking_ him. Cloud moved quickly down the aisle moving toward the cartons of eggs in hopes of making a quick escape. As he grabbed a couple cartons someone sidled up next to him. Cloud's shoulders stiffened.

"Hi, my names Trisha, whats yours?" the bubbly blond babbled.

Cloud carefully put the cartons of eggs into the cart and began to walk away, again. He left a pouting blond behind to be consoled by (and sulked with) her black haired buddy.

Roxas wove through a group of people milling around at the end of an aisle, all of them were craning to look at the shelves: They contained jars of pickles, and peppers, and other related goods. In his rush to shove passed the masses neither he, nor Demyx, noticed the '_Caution! Wet Floor._' sign.

They did manage to make it most of the way down the aisle before they hit the wet patch (apparently one of the jars had broken and spewed giant gherkins all over the floor, the pickles and glass had been cleaned up, but the floor was still wet from _that_) and before Roxas really knew what was happening his feet had gone out from under him. His breath whooshed out as his back hit the floor, and he could hear Demyx yelping in surprise nearby.

"Ow." He coughed

"You okay, Rox?" Demyx had apparently managed to catch himself on the shelf and was slipping, and sliding, his way over to Roxas' side.

"M'fine," mumbled Roxas. "just help me up, will you?"

"Y-yeah, okay." The older blond offered a hand, wobbling slightly on the slick floor. Demyx stuck out his other hand to use the shelf for balance, and it was then that Roxas noticed a precariously placed jar of pickled pigs' feet.

"Demyx watch it!" But it was too late, and as Demyx twitched to keep his balance, his hand hit the jar and knocked it off the shelf. It hit the ground near Roxas' head, shattering, and sent splinters of glass and bits of, well, pickled pigs' feet flying. "Demyx!"

"Sorry, Roxas...."

------

He'd lost them eventually, somewhere between the Doritos and noodles. He wasn't really sure where, or when, but he was glad for it. Cloud was just reaching out to grab a tub of cool whip (Sora would commit murder if he didn't have the sugary stuff at least once a week on _something_) when a tooth-rotting voice piped up from beside him, "Hi there!"

Cloud whipped around, clutching the container to his chest, and stared in surprise at the beatifically smiling brunette standing there. Backed by six of her closest friends, including the two that had approached him earlier. _Ambush, Ambush!_ His mind screeched. Where the hell were his brothers? Hadn't they talked about this? Something about safety in numbers?

He stood there frozen for several seconds, wondering if he could use the food as projectiles for escape, when a voice broke through his daze, "Cloud! There you are!" Several of the surrounding barracudas were shoved aside as a dark haired figure roughly pushed her way through, smiling at him.

"Tifa." He said, and for a moment, he wondered if he'd be safer chancing the school of piranha than the shark.

"Oh, you found him. That's good, I was beginning to worry." A softer, calmer voice said. It sounded vaguely amused as the owner of the voice drifted after Tifa, using the clearing she'd created.

"Well, you know her... If she can't find people then the rest of the world's going to be torn apart until she does!" A third voice chirped, as the final member of the apparent rescue party bounced after the first two.

Cloud stared, "Aerith. Yuffie."

Aerith wandered over and slid an arm around one of Cloud's while taking the clutched tub of cool whip from him and passing it off to Yuffie. Tifa, slid to his other side and took hold of his arm in a reflection of Aerith. As the two of them frog marched the baffled blond off Tifa proclaimed, "We've been waiting for you for a long time, y'know!"

Aerith smiled benevolently at the cluster of confused girls, "Excuse us, ladies."

Yuffie grinned, pushing the cart forward, "Beep beep! Comin' through!"

"Aww, man... I just cleaned this up to!" A voice bemoaned.

Roxas had finally managed to fight his way to his feet, gingerly brushing bits of glass and, urgh, pigs' feet juice off of himself. The blond turned, and came face to face with a rather familiar person, "Hey Hayner, didn't know you were working today."

"Yeah, well... I am." Hayner sighed, staring forlornly at the spattered floor.

Demyx twittered around nervously in the background, and Roxas frowned. "Sorry about that, but... uh... Have you seen Sora?"

Hayner, who had been busy muttering to himself, jerked his head up, "Huh? Oh, right, yeah. He was headed toward the front of the store."

"Thanks. Sorry... really..." Roxas hurried past him, Demyx following, and slid back onto safer ground. They hurried past a stack of pepsi cases.

"I hope Cloud remembered the sardines... No one else likes them." Demyx lamented absently.

Roxas snorted, and remembering the creepy stalker girls he'd noticed earlier, "I just hope we don't have to find him in the alchohol aisle, making friends with old Jack Daniels."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, lets go get Sora." Roxas grouched as they hurried passed the aisles filled to the brim with snack foods.

------

They found Sora sitting up front as though he'd been waiting for them the entire time, with a lollipop in his mouth. Standing beside him was none other than his silver haired best friend Riku.

"Sora, where the hell did you go!" Roxas griped as he stalked up to his twin.

Sora shrugged, "I saw Riku so I went to find him, and I did!" He waved at his impassive looking friend.

Roxas just wanted to beat his head against the wall.

"There you are." An exasperated voice snarled. The three brothers whipped around to find an irate looking Cloud stalking toward them, followed by three grinning females. Roxas figured the only reason he didn't attempt to kill them all was because his hands were laden down with bags. Sora bounced up (chirping a 'see you later!' to Riku) and went to help Cloud. The other two followed in his tracks shortly.

------

Axel disliked pushy girls. The sad fact of life was that he almost always dealt with said pushy girls. For example, his mother, grandmother, and aunts had always been rather pushy. Larxene, he reasoned, would fit right in with them. Which was why as soon as he'd met her he'd become determined that she never meet any of his female relatives.

Still, none of this changed the fact that he'd been kidnapped from his own home, and was now sitting in an apartment with Larxene, Namine, and Kairi. They'd dragged him in, shoved him down on their couch, and forced him to watch movies with them while Kairi made a brave attempt to braid his flaming red hair into a bazillion tiny braids. Axel really wasn't amused. The fact that Larxene was sadistically video taping the entire thing didn't really help.

"Why me?" He moaned. "What did I ever do that you would subject me to _Sweet Sixteen_, and _The Notebook_ one right after the other?"

Larxene laughed snidely as she returned with a container of cookie dough ice cream in hand (she'd left the damn camera on a side table, pointed at him), "Well, we have it on good authority that your up to something Axel, dear. And anyway, it could be worse... We could've made you watch _Gone with the Wind._"

Namine, the quietest and nicest by far (but apparently not nice enough to save him from this hell) giggled (_giggled!)_ at him, "Roxas is my friend, and.. well..."

Axel glared accusingly at Kairi, "Why do I get the feeling that this is your fault?"

She smiled sweetly at him, "Oh, be good and tell us what you're doing. We just want to help! ...Then maybe we'll let you borrow our copy of _Brokeback Mountain_."

"What makes you think I'd want to borrow that?" he groused.

The three women exchanged glances, then broke into uproarious laughter.

------

Roxas tottered onto the porch. He was just glad to be home. He wanted to collapse in a squishy heap on the sofa, or the floor, the floor would do fine! Shopping in holiday crowds was _hell_. As he reached the door he paused, there was something... Roxas blinked, there was a red felt stocking with fluffy white fur lining the top hanging on the door knob.

"Roxas, open the damned door already." Cloud barked from somewhere behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on. Theres another thing here."

"Another present?" Demyx asked, chortling.

"Shut up, Dem." Roxas juggled the bags he was carrying to grab the stocking, then unlocked and opened the door.

------

A short while later after the groceries were put away, and they were all snacking on random junk food Roxas reached into the stocking and pulled out the contents: A card in a vivid red envelope, and a box wrapped in paper decorated in little fat Santas and Christmas trees.

He peeled open the card first to reveal a duplicate of the exact same card that had come with the fruit basket, flipping it open he found another missive scrawled beneath the Christmas greeting:

_Against birds I have nothing_

_But of birds I can't get a thing_

_Two doves, I attempted to gain_

_Unfortunately for me all I attained_

_Was some severely pecked pain_

_Hope these will do_

_Two Turtle Doves for you_

_Your Secret Santa_

"This idiot makes no sense." Roxas complained. It was all really contradictory.

"Just open it!" burbled Demyx.

Rolling his eyes Roxas tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a box. It was one of those cardboard affairs with the clear, flimsy plastic on the front to show the candy within: And indeed, inside were two chocolate doves. The writing on the box proclaimed them to be 'Turtle' doves: Chocolate, pecan, and caramel.

Roxas couldn't help but laugh.


	4. The Third Day

**Words:** 3209

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **Finally some interaction between the heroes of this little tale! My friend Monica was constantly amused by the different families I set up between the characters. Also, you finally see why I mentioned the Final Fantasies in my disclaimer. Anyway, enjoy!

**On the Third Day....**

------

**Friday, December 27****th**

_...Or, all my ducks are in a row, where are your chickens?_

------

He was sitting on the low garden wall that technically belonged to the neighbor, but Roxas wasn't picky. A wall was a wall and all that really mattered was that it got him away from the mad house his already asylum level home had become. This day seemed to get worse and worse every year, as they all got more friends or more friends got significant others. It didn't matter why they came; just that they came every year on the Friday after Christmas to exchange gifts. He couldn't really remember when it started, just that at first it had been Sora's and his friends dropping by. Then it'd expanded to Demyx' friends, and Cloud's had followed. Over the years more and more people had joined their little circle, and it had just become some sort of tradition. Somewhere along the line they'd proven that insanity was contagious.

So here he was sulking on the garden wall while laughter echoed from inside. It wasn't that he disliked their friends, in fact he was rather close to most of them... It was just that it was getting _really_ crowded in there. Standing room only, crowded. Roxas had called a strategic retreat for a breather. Outside was really the only place that was currently more or less free of people. As it was he'd tried to retreat to his room only to find Sora in there with Olette, Kairi, Selphie, Namine, and Larxene. He'd backed out of the room before they'd even noticed him. He really, really didn't want to know.

The sound of footsteps clattering along the sidewalk had him looking up. The approaching group was made up of two brother and sister duos: The first being Tidus and Rikku, and the second being Paine and Squall "Leon" Leonhart. The final member of the group was Yuna, Paine and Rikku's best friend (and Tidus' girlfriend).

Rikku was the first to spot him, and gave a delighted squeal before running the rest of the way to attack him with a hug, "ROXIE! How's my favorite Strife?!"

"Suffocating to death!" He gasped. Rikku released him with a happy laugh and clapped him on the back making Roxas jerk forward, "Nice to see you too, Rikku."

Curling her arms around her Rikku shivered dramatically, "Brr! What are you _doing_ out here, you idiot! Geeze, it's freezing!"

"Leave the poor kid alone, Rikku!" Tidus called, though he was grinning widely. It really ruined the effect of his command.

"Aw, you always ruin my fun." Rikku pouted, but bounced over to rejoin the others.

"No Lulu?" Roxas asked. The eldest sibling of the Leonhart trio's absence was quite noticeable as her presence was rather intense, if not quiet.

Squall shook his head, and Paine replied with a dry, "At the in-laws."

"Ah." Roxas nodded. Lulu had recently married Wakka, so it really wasn't all that surprising that she was spending the holidays with her new in-laws.

As they bustled inside Roxas caught the tail-end of Rikku's plaintive whine, "At least she's somewhere warm. They live in the Florida Keys!"

Quiet once more settled over the neighborhood, a serene breathing quiet that encompassed it from one end of the street to the other. The only sound was the occasional outburst from the house, or the distant crackle of tires over pavement. Then the door opened, and Roxas glanced up catching a glimpse of red and green. He immediately recognized the wild hair, with that particular coat combination. It was that Axel guy from the mall the other day. If he remembered correctly the red head had arrived along with Reno, Namine, Kairi, and Larxene. Roxas turned away, ignoring how his butt was getting numb from the unforgiving, cold wall he was straddling. Exhaling gustily the blond watched his own breath slowly evaporate in a cloud of white steam. The rhythmic crunch of snow underfoot announced the approach of the red headed man, though Roxas didn't bother looking away from his contemplation of the winter sky. A sky that was peppered with listless dull gray clouds.

"Some bouncy blond said you were hiding out here." the guy said conversationally.

Wrinkling his nose Roxas sighed, and turned to look at the red head, "Which one?" he inquired dryly.

"The top heavy one."

Roxas snorted, and gave a faint smile at that. At least the guy had some wit, "So how'd you end up with Collect Roxas Duty?"

Axel moved closer, and sat down on the wall in front of him, his long legs sprawled out into the middle of the sidewalk. If it had been summer he would have been in danger of having his ankles mangled by skateboards, joggers, and bikers, "I volunteered." He chirped. "I wanted to get out anyway, so I don't see why not."

"Glad I could help your escape."

Axel laughed and flashed Roxas an easy grin, "Hey, it helps you to. After all if I don't want to go back in yet, you don't have to get dragged back in for a while longer!"

They sat there for some time, enjoying the quiet of a the winter afternoon. The door was thrown open again, and this time Leon, Cloud, and Reno stumbled out. The three of them appeared to be arguing about something. Actually it was more like Cloud and Reno were arguing with each other while Leon stared at them with exasperation.

Roxas sighed at the sight, "Cloud wants to drive, but Reno doesn't have a death wish."

Axel glanced over at the short blond, "How can you tell?"

"It's the same thing they always argue about."

"Your brother that bad?" Axel asked, truly curious. He knew Reno wasn't exactly what one would call a 'safe' driver, so if Cloud made _Reno_ uneasy, then he had to be something else.

"Not bad, per se, Just... crazy?" Roxas hazarded. Cloud was a good driver, it was just his driving was generally more appropriate for speedways and stunt driving.

Axel hummed, obviously understanding him on some level. Meanwhile the arguing duo had stopped at the end of the sidewalk. Cloud was holding the keys out away from his body in an attempt to prevent Reno getting a hold of them. He appeared to be making some sort of point if the sharp gestures he was making with his free hand were anything to go by. The largely ignored Leon took the chance to snatch the keys from Cloud's hand, and walk to the car while the other two looked after him in surprise.

Roxas shook his head, "Idiots."

Axel gave a sharp laugh, "They do that every year?"

"Yeah, and Leon always drives." Axel laughed again, drawing the attention of their elder brothers. Deciding to cut Cloud off at the pass Roxas called, "No, Cloud."

Cloud shrugged and sighed, "How about you, Axel?"

"Huh?"

"They want to know if you want to go with them to get the food." Roxas clarified. This, to, happened every year. Though usually he was out here alone.

"Oh. Nah, you guys go on."

"Suit yourself!" Reno hollered back, waving over his shoulder as he and Cloud went to join the waiting Leon. A few minutes later after Reno had piled into the back seat, and Cloud the front passenger seat the trio pulled out and disappeared down the road.

"So, what d'you usually do once they're gone?" Axel asked. "After all, the holidays are about keeping with tradition."

Roxas looked thoughtful for a few minutes, "Usually I'd wait out here until they either got back, someone dragged me in, or I got bored enough to go in on my own."

"Bor-ring." Axel declared. "What do you do for fun around here?"

"Knock over snowmen."

"What?"

"Or light-up plastic Santa Clauses."

"Really? Geeze, you're such a scrooge!"

"It's fun!"

"It's degrading."

"Santa's degrading!"

Axel looked positively flabbergasted by this, "How can Santa be degrading? The mans a hero! He brings joy, and happiness! Dreams and, imagination to the youths of the world! Commit _that_ to memory, Mr. Grinch."

"Santa sounds like a pedophile." Roxas countered blandly.

"What?! Please tell me you didn't just insult a jolly, well loved, decades old symbol of good will and holiday cheer?" Axel yelped. "How can you _say_ that?"

"Well, think about it! He sneaks into your house to leave presents for children, and he somehow knows the presents they want the most! He sounds like some sort of creepy stalker."

Axel shook his head, his face an odd mixture of expressions. The red head looked torn between horrified amusement, and exasperation. Roxas decided he looked faintly constipated in an amused sort of way. He also decided not to tell Axel this. It was much more amusing just to keep his deadpan expression, and laugh mentally at the guy.

"Right!" Axel declared after several minutes of indecision. "I've decided this conversation never happened, so rewind."

"Rewind to when?" Roxas asked, nonplussed. "I don't think Cloud would like it if we phoned him, and made them come back to do all that over again."

Axel stared at Roxas for several seconds, trying to decide of the blond was being obtuse on purpose or not, he decided it was the former and gave another sharp laugh, "Nah, lets just go back to the debasing of plastic lawn ornaments and snow sculptures."

"Right." Roxas agreed amiably. Then straightening up slightly he declared, "It's fun!"

Axel's lips twisted into a ferocious grin at the fact that the blond was actually playing along. Instead of going down that slick slope again he shot back, "Prove it."

Roxas hummed in acknowledgment and stood up, shaking his legs to get feeling back into them, "Come on."

Axel unfolded himself into a standing position, wincing as he did, "Man, my ass is numb. I can't imagine how you feel."

With that the duo set off, meandering slowly down the side walk with Roxas casing the decorations on either side.

------

"I'm surprised Axel didn't come with us." Cloud muttered, though it was a bit hard to understand him. The blond was resting his chin in the palm of his hand, with his elbow resting on the thin ledge provided with the closed window. His breath faintly misted the glass with every exhale.

Reno leaned forward and draped his forearms over the shoulders of the front seats, "I'm not." He leered cheerfully.

Cloud turned his head sending him a questioning look, "But what about his little holiday plan?"

Reno rubbed his hands together, "We've got this one covered, already man. Just do what I told you, and everything will go fine."

The silent driver pulled them into a drive through window and began to rattle off their order in a clipped monotone voice while Cloud dug out the cash everyone had pooled together for the food.

Reno gave a low whistle as a feminine voice rattled off their list for confirmation, "She sounds hot."

"Reno." Cloud growled. The red head just grinned at him in the rear view mirror as irrepressible as always.

They pulled up to the window, and a smiling dark haired girl greeted them with a smile, "Hi Squall!"

Leon blinked at her, "Rinoa, I didn't know you worked here."

"You know her? Hi babe, I'm Reno!" Reno called as he leaned forward, and nearly fell into the dash board.

Cloud forcefully grabbed Reno's head and shoved him back into his seat with a growl, "Knock it off, idiot."

Rinoa laughed, unmoved by the little show, and chose to respond to Leon instead, "It's just for now."

Leon nodded understandingly, "Still trying to prove something to your father?"

Rinoa grinned sweetly at him as if to say 'Who? Me? I'm never that cunning,' and began to hand over the mass amounts of bags and containers with their orders, "I sure hope this isn't all for you three..."

Leon shook his head in the negative, "It's for the gift exchange."

Rinoa made a sound of disappoint, "Ooh, Selphie mentioned that. Tell everyone 'hi' for me will you, Squall?"

"Of course."

------

Roxas finally came to a stop in front of the second to last house on the next block over. It was a quaint thing, and decorated a bit gaudily. It as though it was trying too hard to be flashy, noticeable, and better than every other display. After standing there staring up at the house for several seconds Roxas finally said, "This one."

Axel glanced at the other houses around them, "Why this one?"

"The guy who lives here is a jackass." Roxas muttered bitterly as he walked into the yard, leaving deep foot prints in the mostly untouched snow.

"Oh yeah?" Axel asked, following with a little more ease as he used the shorter man's foot prints.

"Seifer." Roxas clarified crankily, stopping in the middle of the yard. Lifting one leg he planted his shoe right in Santa's face. The poor plastic thing tipped over and fell into the snow with a quiet, hollow sound.

Axel stared mournfully at the downed Santa Claus from over Roxas' head, "Sounds familiar. Who is he?"

"Rikku and Tidus' cousin a few times removed, or something. Supposedly him and Leon are sorta kinda friendly enemies, or rivals... or something. I don't know, but he used to like picking on me and a few of my friends."

"Ah, so this is revenge?"

"I prefer to call it continual retribution." Roxas slogged his way toward a display of gaudy reindeer. "I always make sure to get this place once a year. Shame he doesn't make snowmen anymore."

Axel had to stifle a fit of laughter at the mental image of a (even more) pint sized Roxas slaughtering the neighborhood bullies snowmen. Soon, and despite himself, Axel found himself enjoying the little jaunt into ruining someones Christmas display, even if he didn't really participate insomuch as watch Roxas.

Roxas finished up by stomping a jaunty _Ho! Ho! Ho!_ into an undisturbed patch of snow before standing on the sidewalk to observe his handy work. After a few seconds he turned to look at Axel, quirking a brow at the red heads amused smile.

"All right, I'll admit it, that was kinda fun for the debasing of tradition and all." Axel said amiably.

"You're an idiot."

"Why thank you!"

Together they shuffled back up the block and resumed their seats on the low wall, this time side by side facing west across the road. The cloud cover was starting to pull together into a drab blanket, but was still thin enough toward the far horizon to afford a view of the setting sun between the neat rows of houses and bare limbed trees. The sky was a myriad of warm colors despite the chill in the air: Maroons, and dark pinks edged with purples that faded into orange and butter gold, with splashes of vibrant yellow. The sun was a deep burnished color as it slowly sank beneath the roofs across from them, and the first stars were beginning to peek out only to be hidden away as the clouds continued to swamp the sky.

The grumble of a car engine, and the flicker of dim headlights alerted them to the return of the 'scavengers.' Cloud was the first one out with his arms full of brown paper bags, and red and white boxes. He did a double take at the sight of them still sitting on the wall, "Did you two even go in?"

"Nope!" Roxas was sure that Cloud rolled his eyes at Axel's chipper reply even if he couldn't make out his brothers expression.

"You can come help carry the food in then!" Reno called, and you could hear the grin in his voice.

Axel sighed and pushed himself up, slouching over to accept an armful of buckets and bags from his brother, "But I'm suddenly realizing how cold I am!"

Roxas snorted grabbing a few containers that Leon silently offered, "Then you'd better hurry up."

"So mean!"

Between them they managed to get all the food in with one trip.

------

They'd handed off their burdens once inside to Sora and his friends who whisked them away to the kitchen. Roxas spent a good several minutes struggling out of his jacket and boots with fingers that were stiff from the cold. Axel seemed somewhat immune to it, the bastard, and had quickly disappeared into the milling crowd with the others. Grumbling to himself he shoved his way toward the kitchen, intent on getting something hot to eat. However, he was quickly derailed by a thick knot of people in the doorway, "Hey!" He barked.

"Roxas?" a Sora's voice called from the other side. "Hey c'mere!"

"I would if I could, Sora, but there's a bunch of people in the way."

He heard a laugh, a distinctive sharp laugh, and a moment later Axel had waded through the people. The redhead grabbed his wrist and tugged him through, "There you go, shorty."

Roxas elbowed him for that comment, though he said, "Thanks Axel."

Axel blinked, then grinned, "Hey, you remembered my name that time!"

Sora grinned at Roxas as his twin joined him, "You're secret admirer has struck again."

"What?" Roxas followed Sora's pointing finger to one of the red and white buckets, emblazoned with the General's head and the rest of the KFC logo. Sure enough, sitting pretty as you please on it was a bright red envelope.

Roxas snatched it up, and tore it open. The card was the same as the others, and he flipped it open to read the messages inside:

_French? Perhaps not_

_I feared that if I tried_

_They'd all rot_

_So instead, something fried_

_A three-in-one meal_

_With coupons, it was a steal_

_Your Secret Santa_

Throwing his head back, Roxas couldn't help the laughter that overtook him at that one. It was completely pointless, and silly, and vaguely idiotic... but at the same time oddly endearing. Sora leaned over his shoulder to read it as well, and began to snicker. Roxas didn't even mind as their friends pushed forward in a bid to see what was so funny.

When it was checked, the bucket in question was indeed revealed to be one of those Three-in-one deals.

------

Later that evening after everyone had eaten, and gifts had been passed around Roxas was sitting on the window seat in the living room. Most of their friends had already gone home, and the ones who had lingered were departing now. A reflection darkened the glass, and the blond turned his head to meet Axel's green eyed stare.

Axel gave him a crooked grin, "Thought I'd say goodbye."

Roxas nodded and automatically said, "Thanks for coming."

Axel stood there quietly for a moment, looking out the window as a few stray snowflakes drifted by. Then, his gaze snapped back to Roxas, and suddenly he offered, "I had fun today, we should hang out sometime."

Roxas smiled faintly, "I think I'd like that, Axel."

Axel touched his pointer and index fingers to his head, in a little salute before turning and heading off. Roxas watched him jog down the walkway to join Reno, Namine, Larxene, and Kairi through the window and the spiraling snow.


	5. The Fourth Day

**Words:** 2509

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **For the record, I hate this chapter. I don't shop a lot so this was like a blind person writing about the colors of a sunset, or something. Sad lack of Axel/Roxas interaction again, but this is the last chapter where that happens. After this point it's a whoooole slew of AkuRoku relationship building. As my friend Monica says "Yay, character growth!"

**On the Fourth Day....**

------

**Saturday, December 28****th**

_...Or, I have seen the face of evil, and it is blond._

------

Roxas was the first one up that morning which was distinctly odd, but he had woken up early this morning and been unable to fall back to sleep. Sora and Demyx were both morning people, and while Cloud might hate the whole waking up process, he was an early riser. He'd spent a while playing with Sora's video games before he'd gotten bored with that, and then curled up with a book someone had gotten him. The loud _thump thump thump_ of someone knocking on the front door startled him out of the fantasy world between the pages, and he cast a glance at the clock. Who in the world would be stopping by at this time?

Using a scrap of paper to mark his place Roxas dumped the novel on the side table, and meandered into the hall. Opening the door with every intention of telling whoever it was to get lost, he found his words stymied when he came face to face with none other than an annoyed looking Seifer. There were quite a few different reactions Roxas wanted to have to this; some of them included braying like a donkey, or just slamming the door and pretending it had never happened. Instead he settled for an impassive stare and a bland, "Seifer."

This seemed to tweak whatever last nerve Seifer had been balancing on, because the taller blond lunged forward. Seifer's palm smacked against the door Roxas was even now gripping, "Listen here, you little snot," Seifer snarled. "The neighbor told me you trashed my yard again. Not that I needed to be told that it was you."

Ah, yes, Seifer lived across the street from the neighborhood loony: Old man Xehanort. Xehanort hated Roxas and his brothers. He often took any chance he could to 'pay them back' for 'years of torment.' Seriously, the guy was a fruit. Roxas wasn't aware that loosing ones baseball, or accidentally skateboarding into one's hedge was considered torment.

"Are you listening to me?" Seifer barked suddenly.

Roxas realized that, no, he really wasn't. He supposed Seifer hadn't liked realizing his monologue threat hadn't been heard in the slightest. "Sure." Roxas agreed blankly. "I'm all ears."

Seifer swore at him, "You're just lucky I have to get to work!" The blond man turned and stomped down the front walk, pausing with perfect dramatic timing to point at Roxas. "Watch yourself, I'm going to get you!"

Roxas mumbled softly, "...and my little dog to?"

"Roxas? Who was that?" Cloud's sleep clogged voice inquired from somewhere behind him.

Roxas turned on his heels, and snapped the door closed, "Village idiot."

Cloud was giving him a blank look as he entered the kitchen, "Come on, you can help me with breakfast."

------

Reno arrived at his home that morning to a rather strange sight. Axel was sitting on the living room floor surrounded by four women. The dual blond heads of Namine and Larxene occupied the couch while Kairi sat to his younger brothers left, and a brunette he couldn't recall meeting sat to Axel's right.

Reaching up Reno dug his fingers into his eyes, then dragged his palm over his face, "Do I even wanna know whats going on?"

The brunette started, and glanced at him, smiling sheepishly. Namine smiled her serene smile, and Larxene ruined the pleasant atmosphere with her shark like leer. Kairi gave a devious little giggle, apparently she was the current spokesperson of evil, "We're going to do our hair, paint our nails, find nice outfits and then go get us some hot guys!" She chirped happily.

"All of you?" Reno replied, fighting to hide the amused smirk that was attempting to overtake his expression. Axel, who had been smirking at him was starting to look a little horrified.

Kairi glanced at his sibling slyly, "That's right!"

"Something you want to tell me, Alexa?" Reno drawled.

"Not unless you want to make some confessions to, Rena." Axel shot back without missing a beat.

Reno snorted, and waved as he headed deeper into the apartment, "I'm goin' to bed, so keep it down. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah." Axel muttered before turning back to the four girls. He tapped the red envelope laying on the coffee table before him, "Here's the card, I trust you won't scar him too badly."

The girls exchanged mischievous grins, "We can't make any promises, but we'll try to make him enjoy it." Olette said with a small laugh.

------

The breakfast of bacon and egg sandwiches had been thoroughly defeated, and the brothers had settled into their own little worlds when it happened. 'It' being a rapid succession of knocks on the front door. Demyx jumped up, but before he could take more than a few steps a chorus of vaguely familiar female voices yelled "ROXAS!"

Demyx immediately retreated back across the room, "Well I think its for you, Roxas."

Roxas gave Demyx a wide eyed look, then glanced beseechingly at the other two. Cloud had buried his face back into the newspaper he was reading, and Sora was hunched over his game controller. Roxas huffed, "You traitors."

"ROXAS!" The yell came again.

Roxas sighed and trooped off to answer the door, whereupon he came face to face with a group of four women, "Namine, Kairi, Olette..." he greeted, feeling a bit baffled. "Why are you all here?"

Namine smiled, that small smile of hers even as Olette and Kairi reached in and grabbed his upper arms. It was only then that he noticed Larxene standing a few feet down the walk way with a video camera trained on him, and waving a red envelope. Before Roxas had a chance to react he was being dragged out the door by the two girls.

"Hey!" He yelped, "Where are we going? What about my coat, or.. shoes?!"

"Got them!" Namine chirped from behind him.

Roxas found himself unceremoniously shoved into the big black SUV that Larxene drove, Olette going before him and Kairi after him as if to pin him in between them in the back seat. Namine hopped into the passenger seat, and a moment later Larxene slid into the drivers seat. Her camera promptly sat down, and angled back toward the three passengers. Namine passed back Roxas' jacket and shoes, and after he'd tugged them on with a scowl, the red envelope.

"Well?" Kairi giggled. "Open it! Let's see what it says!"

"You mean you don't know?" Roxas asked. "I'd have figured you'd know why you were kidnapping me!"

"Sure we do, Roxie-babe." Larxene crowed as she pulled out into the road. "That doesn't mean we know what the card says though!"

Rolling his eyes he did as he was bid, opening it and reading the poem aloud:

"_When these four birds came calling_

_I'm sure you'd rather have been_

_four stories falling_

_For a day with them you will spend_

_(Try to enjoy yourself)_

_Your Secret Satan_(This, of course, was crossed out.)_Santa"_

Roxas, quite frankly, found it funny. It seemed, however, that his kidnappers did not. There were a few murmurs of dissent around him, though Larxene was cackling in appreciation.

"So," Roxas broke in, attempting to divert things before it reached homicidal levels. "My, ah, Secret Santa had you kidnap me?"

"Yeah." Olette said, flashing him a smile. "We get you for the whole day, and we're supposed to make sure you have fun."

"But," Kairi put in. "Not too much, because what kind of girls would we be if we didn't torture you a bit?"

"The wonderful kind?" Roxas tried weakly.

Namine giggled, "Don't worry, it won't be to bad."

"Sad the pack of wolves to the rabbit."

Larxene laughed, and winked at him in the rear view mirror, "And best of all... I'm going to record the _whole_ thing. With blessings from _Santa. _Apparently Santa wants to make sure we kept up our end of the deal."

The girls descended into a fit of mutual giggles, and Roxas felt like doom was settling around him.

------

Roxas shortly found himself standing in the mall, outside the doors into one of this big name clothing stores. The kind that had several floors, and each floor seemed to be entirely devoted to a certain part of the wardrobe; half of which was directed toward women and the other half toward men. Yeah, it was one of _those_ stores.

"...If my 'Secret Santas' idea of having a good time is clothes shopping, I want no part of it," he said firmly.

Kairi laughed beside him, swinging their clasped hands back and forth, "No, silly! We're the ones that chose what we're doing."

Namine smiled at him from his other side, "That's right. We're just supposed to keep you busy all day."

"Exactly." Larxene cooed. She was walking ahead of them, with her camera. Olette was strolling beside her, occasionally telling her to watch out for things.

They were terrifyingly effective. If they ever decided to take over the world he didn't think the entire worlds' military stood a chance. So it was that the poor blond was effectively frog marched through the automated doors, and into the land of clothing.

Roxas was dragged down aisles, and between racks; forced to hover beside stands, and displays. All the while shirts, pants, accessories, vests, shorts; just about anything was being thrown into his waiting grasp, or over the arms of his kidnappers. From time to time the mass of clothing was pulled out of his arms, and much to his horror, things held up against him. Sometimes a slinky looking top was thrust in his face, and one of the girls would demand if he thought they'd look good in it. Needless to say, by the time Roxas was dragged to a halt in front of the changing rooms he was ready to go hunt down 'Santa' and strangle them. Funny how it never occurred to him to ask who it was. Then again, Roxas was never really one to be much bothered with surprises. He knew he'd find out eventually, let the person keep their secret while they could. Sora had always been the one who liked to shake the presents under the tree, so to speak.

Larxene took up a position in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs where she took a moment to check the space, and battery charge on her camera before giving the other three her shark smile, "Go ahead, girls." Roxas would swear up and down later that when he was dragged off into the rows of changing stalls he did _not_ whimper. Unfortunately for him Larxene had proof otherwise.

So it was that the blond man spent a good hour or more being shoved into the changing stall with different combinations of clothing. Alternately he was also being forced into commenting on the outfits the three girls were trying on, it was all very nerve wracking. Not that Roxas was going to admit it. Quite frankly the four of them were all demons in disguise.

After that the next several hours were spent being dragged from store to store: Clothing stores, shoe stores, (horror of horrors) lingerie stores. In the end a mortified Roxas watched what shreds of dignity he had slip through his fingers as he helped carrying the 'haul' out to deposit it into the car. Larxene used to opportunity to drop off her camera for recharging.

Roxas took this as a good sign.

Olette clasped his arm, smiling up at him and tugging him back around, "We're going to the movies now!"

Roxas groaned, "Can't we just take me home? I feel like I'm going to die."

He could hear the sound of Larxene rummaging around in the car somewhere behind them. Kairi sidled up to clasp his unoccupied side, and a moment later Namine jumped up to sling her arms over his shoulders. He automatically adjusted his arms to clasp her thighs so that he was carrying the blond girl piggy back style.

"Oh, don't be such a baby Roxas." Kairi teased. "You're as bad as Sora and Riku! You're all--"

"Lazy bums!" Olette and Namine joined in, chorusing the two words along with Kairi which made them all laugh.

Larxene slammed the car door closed and drifted by them, waving her hand dismissively, "A little shopping never killed anyone!"

"Lies!" Roxas shot back, staggering after her with the other three girl's hanging off him. "Besides, that wasn't anywhere near a 'little.' 'Little' is a small amount."

"You complain too much, Roxas." Namine hummed in his ear.

------

When it came to choosing a movie, Roxas didn't get any choice in the matter. He wasn't really surprised by that anymore, though. In the end it was Larxene who chose what they were going to see since she was the one paying for it. In hindsight that was probably a bad idea. At the time though, Roxas wasn't really interested in arguing. He was too busy glaring at the people gawking at him. Hadn't anyone ever seen a guy with a herd of female friends before? Before he really knew what was going on he was being dragged off by Kairi and Olette again, and shortly thereafter had his arms loaded down with a couple buckets of popcorn. Namine was kind enough to direct him into the theater proper, at the very least.

Turned out Larxene picked the goriest, scariest horror film that was showing. Needless to say the experience was spent with Roxas more or less buried under Olette, Kairi, and Namine. It really made things a lot more terrifying, what with not being able to see the screen, and having girls shrieking in his ear at every scary moment. The fact that Larxene was more or less gasping from the effort not to burst into mad cackles (at them or the film, he couldn't tell) really didn't help matters any. Roxas had a feeling he'd be digging popcorn out of his cloths for the rest of the night. He could swear he saw a tiny camera for a moment as well.

When they left the theater the sun was setting in resplendent glory, and the girls were giggling madly over something or other. Roxas, to his mild surprise, found he was laughing as well when Kairi elbowed him in the side and teased him about how he'd jumped when some monster on screen had roared particularly loud.

------

Once they were piled back in the car, with Roxas once more sitting between Kairi and Olette while Namine and Larxene filled the passenger and drivers seats respectively he asked, "Let me guess... Theres more?"

Namine leaned to the side and twisted around to look at him as Larxene pulled out of the parking lot, "Nope! We're going to go home, and order pizza."

"And eat ice cream." Larxene added with a sly grin.

"Until we all pass out!" Kairi cheered.

"While watching whatever is on TV." Olette added with a laugh.

Roxas couldn't help but grin crookedly at that, "I think I can handle that."


	6. The Fifth Day

**Words:** 2790

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **First off a big thank you to everyone who has put this story on their favs/alert list, or reviewed. In particular Werewolf666vampire, and White Haired Teen.

I'd also like to point out that I've had the horrible side effect of memorizing a Christmas carol from this fic. I now know the entire Twelve Days of Christmas by heart. I am mildly disturbed. Anyway, onward!

**On the Fifth Day....**

------

**Sunday, December 29****th**

_...Or, when did volunteer work become more like recruitment?_

------

Morning came in the form of a very evil strip of weak and watery sunlight encroaching over Roxas' eyes. As he became more aware of himself he also became aware of the fact that he was curled into the corner of a sofa. His head was tilted at an odd angle, and he could already feel the beginning twangs of a crick. Wincing slightly Roxas shifted, and a sleepy mumble came from the vicinity of his shoulder. Glancing over he caught sight of a pale blond head that was using him as a pillow; it appeared to be Namine. Blinking sleepy blue eyes Roxas dug the fingers of his free hand into his eyes. He couldn't feel his other arm, it seemed to have gone numb at some point. A quick glance showed the state of affairs in the room. Empty bowls encrusted with melted, and dried ice cream littered the coffee table alongside empty pizza boxes. Larxene was sprawled carelessly in one of the armchairs.

Somehow the rest of them had managed to sprawl across the couch. Kairi had her arms thrown around Namine's waist, her head resting of the blond girl's hip, and her feet tucked snuggly against Olette's thighs. Olette, like Roxas, was curled into the crook of the arm and back of the couch at the opposite end.

"Awww, the fourth little piggy is awake," A saccharine voice cooed.

Glancing over Roxas found Larxene watching him, through one blue eye. Her head tilted in that oddly predatory way of hers, "S'that make you the big bad wolf?" He wondered, not really awake.

Larxene laughed sharply, "Why yes, yes it does."

"Coffee...?" A voice croaked. Roxas thought it sounded vaguely like Kairi.

"The pots on." Larxene responded. _That_ caught Roxas attention and he gave Larxene an odd look. She was apparently adept in translating 'still asleep' as she flashed her shark-like smile at him. Lifting the phone she had in her hand she wiggled it at him, "I've been up for awhile, Blondie. My lover-boy's half way around the world."

"Ah, right." Several long minutes passed in which the only sound was the faint ticking of a clock somewhere. Roxas had the nagging feeling he was forgetting something. Brushing aside the feeling he instead ventured to ask, "Do you have an soda?"

"Nope!" Larxene's voice was inordinately cheerful. He had the strange feeling she was taking pleasure in his early morning suffering. "The girl's prefer coffee and tea, and I like my energy drinks."

Roxas chose to comment on this with an effective, "Blargh."

He was just beginning to doze off again when there came a series of loud knocks on the door that jolted him back to wakefulness abruptly, and set the three sleeping girls to grumbling. Larxene rose and sauntered over to the door. After peering through the peephole she grinned toothily, "It's for you Blondie-babe!" She cackled, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Frowning Roxas dragged himself out from the little hole he'd sunk into, ignoring Namine's moue of annoyance. As he walked to the door he attempted to massage feeling back into his numb arm. Not bothering to look Roxas dragged the door open, and blinked in bemusement at the sight of a bottle of Mountain Dew floating in front of his eyes. It took several seconds longer than usual for his mind to register that, no, Mountain Dew wasn't magical and there was a hand holding the bottle's top.

His gaze followed the hand to an arm that lead to a shoulder supporting, a thin face with a head full of spikey red hair, "Roxas!" Axel crowed. "Good morning!"

"If you're a morning person I'm going to kill you." Roxas said.

"Not at all." Axel replied breezily as he brushed past Roxas, and into the apartment. "I just got a call from your brother. He wanted me to come collect you since I live down the hall."

Roxas decided that really didn't make much sense, "What?"

"Well, they tried calling here and got a busy signal, and then tried calling Kairi, but no one answered. By then they had to get going so... Dem called me!"

"Oh."

"Dem also told me I should bring this as an offering. Something about angry morning syndrome, and the only cure, or whatever."

The bottle of Mountain Dew was thrust in Roxas face again, and after a moment he reached up and took it. The fact that it was being given to him finally registered. Without really thinking about it Roxas tripped forward and gave the red head a big hug, "I love you." Stepping back he twisted the cap off and took a long swig. Oh blessed caffeine! Ambrosia!

Axel grinned easily ignoring the sleepy titters coming from the peanut gallery, "Anyway, I was told that I'm supposed to take you home, and then out to Irvine's or something. Whoever that is."

"Oh no!" Kairi yelped, sitting bolt upright. "That was today!" Without giving an explanation both she and Namine tore off toward their rooms with cries of upset.

"Uhm...?" Axel stared toward the empty couch. Olette laughed, hopped up, and wandered after the other two.

"Oh yeah." Roxas hummed. "House warming party. Selphie and Irvine got engaged a bit back, and he asked her to move in with him. So... they're having some sort of weird party. You know how Selphie is."

Axel nodded, "Yeah. Weird."

"'Bout covers it."

"And you're supposed to be there." Axel hazarded.

"I was volunteered to help set up along with my brothers."

"Ah. I sense a but..."

"I was kidnapped."

Axel grinned, "So I heard, did you at least have fun?"

Roxas blinked, and looked momentarily thoughtful, "Yeah... I guess I did."

Clapping his hands together with a bright grin Axel headed toward the door, "Well come on then! I've got donuts!"

Roxas snorted, and hollered a 'See you later!' to the girls before grabbing his coat, and stepping into his shoes to follow after the redhead.

------

Axel stopped by his apartment on the way to grab the aforementioned donuts. Reno was shuffling around the kitchen as well, "I'll be gone for a bit."

"Sure." Reno grumped.

Axel snickered knowing Reno probably wouldn't even remember the exchange, his brother looked like he was already half way to sleep even as he warmed up something to eat. Ducking back outside he waved the bag of bakery goods at the blond slumped against the wall across from him, "Got 'em."

Outside they piled into Axel's thunderbird. The redhead idly remarked, "I'd rather have a Ferrari... or maybe a Lamborghini."

Roxas snorted, "Don't ask for much, do you?"

"I'd settle for a little more leg and head room." Axel replied dryly, then grinned at the small smile the blond cracked. "Anyway, help yourself. Demyx called while I was out getting them, so I figured I could share."

Roxas peered into the bag before making his selection, "You normally eat five donuts for breakfast?"

"Maybe." came the easy reply.

------

Back at home Roxas dug out a spare key and tripped into the front hall, shucking jacket and shoes as he went, "Home sweet home."

Axel laughed as he bustled in behind him, "Aw, I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

Roxas grunted dismissively, "The later part was fun, the earlier... Not so much." The blond headed up the stairs leaving Axel to shrug off his own jacket and shoes.

In his room he was digging out a change of cloths when Axel reappeared, "So, what's the game plan?"

Pausing, Roxas gave it some due consideration, "I think I'll have a shower."

Axel grinned wildly, "Procrastination then?"

"Avoid as much as possible." Roxas agreed. "Selphie's a horror about her party plans."

"Why do I get the feeling she's the reason behind most of the traditions I find this little circle of friends partaking in?"

"Probably because its true? Make yourself comfortable." With that the blond disappeared down the hall, leaving the redhead to his own devices.

------

Sometime later, squeaky clean once again Roxas drifted back into his room to find Axel sprawled on his bed with a certain stuffed partridge in his hands. The redhead was making faces at the poor fake bird. Roxas took the opportunity to comment blandly, "Should I leave you and Philbert alone?"

"Philbert?" Axel shot back, not at all perturbed by Roxas' insinuations.

"Better than Donald."

"Who wanted to name it _Donald_."

"Sora, of course." Roxas rolled his eyes and plucked Philbert from Axel's hands, and put the stuffed bird back on it's perch on his headboard.

"But it's not a duck!"

"That's what I told him."

"Eh, I think Philbert suits him." Axel patted the bird's head as he got up. "Ready to go then?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised Cloud hasn't called yet to complain."

------

Irvine lived on a several acre dairy farm outside the city by several miles. The house was a quaint two-story affair that went back in his family for generations, and as such as decorated with all kinds of cozy odds and ends that had been there for years. He'd inherited from his father after the old man had died a few years back, his mother having passed on when he was a little boy. Roxas had never really been out here, but he knew that Cloud had been once or twice due to the fact that Leon was a mutual friend between them. Selphie was an okay person as far as they were all concerned, just a tad over excitable and rash.

The long driveway was full of cars, and Axel just parked in the midst of it all. They trooped up to the front door, and knocked. It was answered by Demyx surprisingly, "Finally!" he huffed at the sight of them. "I was starting to think you'd gotten lost or something!"

Roxas snorted, "Was Cloud being a worrywart again?"

"Yes!" Demyx whined, letting them in. "I ended up having to take his phone from him to keep him from trying to hound you."

"I don't really get the point of this party, honestly." Roxas grumbled.

Demyx just shrugged, "You know Selphie... Any excuse to have a party."

Sighing Roxas glanced around looking for the aforementioned brunette. He spotted her talking animatedly to a dark haired girl, and a tall stern looking blond woman, "I'm going to go apologize for being late." Grabbing Axel's arm he tugged the redhead along behind him, "And introduce you since I don't think you've met a lot of these people except for briefly."

"Admit it," Axel cajoled. "You just want back up."

"That to." Roxas said blithely. "If nothing else I can use you as a meat shield."

"Don't worry, Roxie! I'll protect you!"

"Shut up, idiot!"

Selphie looked up at Roxas' exclamation and waited as the blond maneuvered his way over. While there really wasn't a huge crowd there, the rooms were small in that cozy farmhouse kind of way making it seem more cramped than it really was, "Roxie! Glad you could make it!"

Roxas smiled crookedly, "Yeah... Sorry about that. I got kidnapped by Larxene, Namine, Kairi, and Olette yesterday. My brothers had to call this idiot here to fetch me. I'm not sure if you've really met..."

He trailed off as Axel leaned over and passed him, "Yes, I rescued the fair princess from the band of horrible rogues! Name's Axel, got it memorized?" He cast a wink at the Selphie and her friends, tapping his temple meaningfully.

Roxas shoved at him, "Don't loom over me like that. And don't call me a Princess!"

Axel stepped back half a pace, lifting his hands apologetically. His expression was anything but, "Sure thing."

Selphie snickered, "I don't think you know my friends, Roxas. This is Quistis and Rinoa." She indicated the blond and the dark haired women respectively.

"Ah, the infamous youngest Strife." Rinoa said. Then looking at Axel she squinted, head tilted curiously, "You look familiar..."

"You met his older brother the other day." A monotone voice intruded as Leon stepped up beside her. "He was with Cloud and me when we picked up the take out."

"Ah! That explains it." she laughed.

"You've met Reno? Oh god, I apologize for whatever stupidity spewed from his mouth. He has a disease called Idiot Syndrome, you see."

Roxas scoffed, "It must be genetic then."

Axel pretended to stagger, gasping dramatically, "Roxaaas you wound me! Right here!" the redhead tapped his chest pointedly.

"I hurt your pecs...? Maybe thats just from your melodrama. You sure you didn't pull something?"

------

Roxas sought out Cloud next, and found his older brother talking to a tall man with long chestnut hair, "Cloud."

The older blond glanced at him, and waved him on over, "Thank you for retrieving him, Axel."

"No problem, man." Axel said, grinning.

The brunette gave them both a dazzling smile, "So you're Axel? I'm Irvine, pleasure to finally meet ya. Nice to see you again, Roxas." Irvine lifted his hand as though to tip a hat that wasn't perched on his head.

Roxas laughed lightly, "I didn't recognize you without that stupid hat."

Irvine looked despairing, "A man's hat is important!"

Before Roxas could reply Cloud said quietly, "By the way, Roxas, I've volunteered you to help Selphie out tomorrow. She has a few more boxes and things to get moved in, so you're going to be her slave for the day."

Roxas gave Cloud a wide eyed look, "But!"

"No buts, you've only yourself to blame."

"Axel enabled me!" Roxas shot back. Axel mouthed the word 'Traitor!' at the blond, but Roxas only smirked at him.

"Then he can help you." Cloud said coolly.

"Hey, hey, no getting me involved man." Axel complained.

"Mmm, I could always call Reno. We know how well he takes to being woken up."

Axel grimaced, "That's dirty." Because then Reno would call their Mother just to spite Axel and things would go down hill from there because, damn it, Mom was _scary_.

"Well, Selphie and I thank y'all for your help. Good friends are hard to come by, y'know?" Irvine commented with a charming smile as though he hadn't just watched the duo get blackmailed into volunteer work.

It certainly sealed the deal though. The two traded looks know they couldn't refuse. It was just asking for a guilt trip to say no after having someone say something like that to you.

"No problem, man," Axel said weakly.

"It's our pleasure," echoed Roxas.

------

Later Axel found Roxas hiding in a corner near the table laden with snack foods and a punch bowl or two. Sidling up to the sulky blond he offered, "C'mon, lets get out of here and commiserate our misery somewhere else."

"Sounds like a plan."

As they were leaving Axel caught Cloud's attention and pointed at the blond beside him followed by the door. Cloud just nodded and waved, before turning back to Sora as the brunette drew his attention. A short while later found Axel and Roxas sitting at a tiny cozy table in a little diner and cafe sort of establishment. The sign outside simply said 'Edea's House.' The woman behind the counter was a tall, willowy woman with long dark hair, a soft welcoming smile and gentle eyes. Roxas had to admit it was nice.

Axel poked morosely at his the slice of cherry pie he'd ordered before stuffing a forkful in his mouth, "So.. slavery."

"Eh, we'll live." Roxas muttered, forking up some of his own apple pie. "It could be worse, I suppose."

"Never say that before you're aware of how bad it is." Axel bemoaned.

------

After they'd eaten their pie, and downed cups of hot cocoa Axel dropped him off. The lights were on as he headed up the walkway, so he supposed that meant his brothers were already home. As he went in the door Sora bounced into the hall to greet him. Roxas jerked his coat off roughly, stifling a yawn. It'd been a long couple of days.

"Hey, Roxas... What's that?" Sora's voice drew him from his sleepy muddle, and Roxas glanced back to find a red envelope had fallen to the floor.

Frowning the blond picked it up and turned it over in his hands, "Where'd this...?" he glanced at Sora.

"It fell out of your coat pocket just now."

"Wonder how long its been there..." Opening the envelope he pulled out a, by now, very familiar card. Inside the familiar writing proclaimed:

_Five golden rings,_

_Sweet and sticky, all around_

_For your enjoyment_

_Your Secret Santa_

Roxas snorted softly, "Haiku? They must be getting bored..."

"Or just enjoying themselves."

"But, I don't get what they mean..." Then it hit him, and he grinned.


	7. The Sixth Day

**Words:** 2220

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **With this chapter we're halfway through the Twelve days. Six more chapters and an epilogue to go. This also marks the beginning of the slippery slope to Fluff Overdose. On a side note, the bad joke in here that Axel spews? I couldn't help myself, really!

**On the Sixth Day....**

------

**Monday, December 30****th**

_...Or, it was like a wild west showdown, and we lost._

------

Cloud woke Roxas bright and early that morning as he was heading out to work. The oldest of the four brothers was an intern of sorts at the same company Reno worked for, and had the dubious pleasures of working in the mail room. Roxas thought it was hilarious. Still he'd learned not to laugh in his face after Cloud had attempt to shove his pillow down his throat.

"Get up." Cloud growled. "Selphie just called. She'll be here in an hour, after she picks up the last of her things."

Roxas moaned at the agony of dealing with Selphie within the first couple of hours after waking. He could fully understand why Cloud sounded like someone had run over his puppy, and Cloud had never owned a puppy. Cloud stood over him for several moments longer until he was sure he was going to get up, then left. Roxas sat up sluggishly, whimpering sadly at the loss of warmth. It was going to be a long day.

------

Selphie was there within the hour just as Cloud had said, and she was as bouncy as ever. In fact she and Sora did some annoying, squealing morning person thing that made Roxas want to drown them both. The car ride was full of Selphie's happy chatter, and bouncy pop songs. When they reached their destination and Roxas stumbled out of the car he was ready to dig his ear drums out with whatever was handy. The ink pen on the dash had been looking awful friendly.

Upon carrying the first of the boxes into the house from the back of Selphie's cherry red jeep he found Axel already there. He was sitting at the kitchen table talking animatedly to Irvine as the brunette nursed a cup of coffee. Axel grinned brightly at the sight of him and shoved a bottle of Mountain Dew toward him across the table. Roxas really needed to kill Demyx for being so open about his quirks. Still the blond mumbled a thank you, before he followed after Selphie to drop off the box in his arms.

Once back in the kitchen he cradled the bottle of soda like it was a newborn baby and glared resentfully at a smirking Irvine, and a snickering Selphie, "You're both morning people. I hate morning people."

"Irvy's been up for awhile already." Selphie yipped. "But, yes, morning people!" She did a happy little jig then grabbed his arm and towed him back out of the door. "C'mon Roxie! Red there gets to help Irvine!"

Roxas wanted to cry.

------

The hours progressed like that, with Roxas helping Selphie haul in boxes, and then to unpack the boxes and help her arrange the odds and ends inside. He saw Axel occasionally, the red head appeared to be learning more about cows than he'd ever wanted to know. Though, to be fair, cows weren't the only animals on the farm. There were a few horses, and a flock of geese mixed in with a bunch of chickens.

Roxas and the rooster didn't get along. The one time he'd drifted close to the hen yard to get a look at the milling birds picking through the dirt, bird poop, and slush he'd nearly had a hole pecked through his jeans. Selphie had nearly laughed herself silly.

One she had herself under control the bouncy brunette said, "I guess he thinks you're competition."

Roxas scoffed, "You'd think he'd go after Axel then." The blond carefully skirted the edges of flock, keeping an eye on the rooster. He could swear it was giving him the evil eye.

"Nah, he's got the hair for it... but he's way to tall to be a chicken!"

"Hey!"

Roxas did find one ally though, in the form of Selphie's big mastiff mix, Cerberus. He was about as vicious as a fluffy baby bunny toward Roxas, and seemed to enjoy following the blond around. Unfortunately he also liked to _lean_ on Roxas' legs. Needless to say Roxas spent a lot of time picking himself up out of the dirt. The first time he'd taken a spill thanks to the mass of wrinkles and fur he'd been immediately pounced upon and given a nice licking in greeting. Every time after that the big lug had just sat there, and tilted his head at him as though wondering what kind of idiot Roxas was.

Around noon Roxas was sitting at the kitchen table helping Selphie throw together a few sandwiches. Cerberus had slipped in and was hiding under the table with his head on Roxas' knees. The blond was occasionally slipping the massive dog tidbits, and Selphie was pretending not to notice.

Irvine wandered in and gave his fiancée a peck on the cheek before winking at Roxas, "I see you met the 'guard dog.'" he drawled.

Roxas grinned sheepishly and tugged the dogs sagging jowls, "He introduced himself rather forcefully."

"Yeah, Cerb's good at that."

The massive dog grunted as though in agreement. Roxas personally thought he just wanted more ham; so, he fed him another bite, "Where's Axel?"

"Last I saw 'em he was out by the geese."

"Irvy!" Selphie yelped and smacked the man's shoulder.

Irvine lifted his hands in a placating gesture, "Now what'd I do, darlin'?"

"You'll ruin everything." She hissed.

"What're you talkin' about?" Irvine looked truly baffled.

Roxas just snorted, "Don't worry, Selphie, I figured it out already." He did wonder, though, just how many people were in on this whole thing. He'd realized last night after the fifth one that Axel was the apparent ring leader, but considering the other ones... He'd come to the conclusion that the conspiracy ran rather deep.

Standing, Roxas headed for the door, but Selphie intercepted him handing over a thermos of hot chocolate, two mugs, and a paper bag with a couple of sandwiches, "Have fun!" she chirped, and shoved him out the door. Cerberus whined, staring mournfully after his new friend. Selphie absently patted the dogs head, standing on her tip toes and craning her head to look after the short blond. Once he was out of sight she turned and pouted at Irvine, "Why don't you do something like this for me?" She whined.

"You're the better planner, darlin'... Tell you what, why don't you plan a twelve days of Christmas party next year?" Irvine suggested. The look that came over Selphie's face was both joyful, and terrifying. He was sure their friends would hate him for it, but hey... if it made Selphie happy. "And, hey, there's a buncha other holidays comin' up, y'never know."

------

Roxas found Axel standing at the edge of a flock of geese, and judging from the red heads stance he was a bit wary of approaching the birds. The geese appeared to be having a minor world war with the chickens over the remains of the feeder corn spread out on the ground. After watching for a few more moments he spoke up, "So, true love huh?"

Axel immediately stiffened then glanced back over his shoulder at him, grinning crookedly, "I had a feeling you'd figure it out after that last one."

Roxas wandered over to stand beside him, staring at the milling fowl, "It was kind of obvious."

Axel laughed, "I wasn't trying too hard to conceal it."

"Who all is in on this?"

"Now that would be telling." Axel gave a sudden yelp and whipped around to stare dumbfounded at the goose standing behind him. While the two had been talking the geese had waddled closer, intent on the bag Roxas was holding. "It bit me!" Axel said, sounding shocked.

"I think the correct term is 'pecked. Ow!" Roxas swatted the beak of the offending goose away from his legs, scowling at it.

"More like pinched! Hey, hey, watch the knees!"

"Maybe we should go somewhere else." Roxas was having mental images of that evil rooster. It apparently had the Goose Mafia on it's side as well.

"Yeah lets get.. Ouch! Geese are evil!" Axel whined, wading through the large birds quickly. Roxas was a bit ahead of him having begun his retreat a little faster. When Roxas yelped Axel glanced up and started laughing, "Did that goose just goose you?"

"Shut up!" A blushing Roxas shot back, picking up his pace.

Axel just laughed harder, "Oh that was priceless!"

"Asshole!"

"I guess geese aren't all bad."

------

They'd eventually lost the persistent birds and found a rather random bit of old wooden fencing that didn't seem to do anything more than prop up a decades old copper and wood wheel that was slowly turning to dust and fungus food. Roxas figured someone had probably placed it there for decoration or something at one point, and promptly forgotten about it. Old dried weeds clung to it and the fence posts like brown reminders of seasons past. Roxas tested the fence warily, then decided it was sturdy enough, and hopped up to perch on it. Axel leaned against it, not wanting to test the decaying thing.

Roxas unscrewed the thermos cap, and sighed happily at the smell of hot chocolate. It was a perfect contrast to the nippy chill of the day. He poured some into the two mugs he then cradled his in his hands. There was silence for a few moments as the two ate their lunch and enjoyed the hot drink.

"Oh yeah!" Axel laughed and reached into a pocket to pull out a bright red envelope which he offered to Roxas. "Your card for the day."

Roxas cracked a tiny smile and took the offered envelope. Today's poem read:

_Once upon a white Christmas_

_A golden goose laid a golden egg_

_Can't say these geese are of like mind_

_For they seem neither charitable nor kind!_

_Your Secret Santa_

Laughing Roxas said, "Not very secret anymore."

Axel grinned cheekily, "Well, I wasn't sure how to sign it since I was confident you'd figure it out, but you never know!"

"Do you have all these planned out?"

"Only some of them, I've been winging it for a few though. Like this one. Got the idea while we were here yesterday and ran it by Selphie."

"Figures."

More silence ensued, and far off Roxas could see a few cows huddled together in the lee of a small stand of trees as they used the bare brush and each other to take most of the bite out of the breeze. Several starlings were pecking about in the dry, brittle grass where it stuck through the snow.

"So," he ventured. "Guess I shouldn't look forward to my card tomorrow?"

Axel laughed, "No way! We're only half way done, Roxas! You're getting the entire Twelve Days treatment." Had Roxas looked at Axel he would have found the red head to be practically beaming at his admission. Triumphant in the fact that his plan was at least succeeding in making Roxas enjoy something about the holidays Axel straightened up. "Well, come on. We've still got the rest of the day before freedom."

Roxas groaned, "Do I have to?"

"Do you want to chance a worse punishment from your brother?"

"Good point..." Roxas conceded.

Axel gave an exaggerated yawn and stretch before sauntering back toward the house. It was only when he was halfway several feet away that he noticed Roxas wasn't with him. Turning back he found the blond still sitting where he'd left him, "Hey, buddy?"

Roxas shook his head as if coming out of a day dream, then hopped down from his perch and walked over to join the red head. The look on the blond's face was serious when he asked, "Why are you doing this anyway?"

Axel figured he could frivolously reply that he'd been drafted into slavery just as Roxas had, but he knew that wasn't what the blond wanted to know about. So, instead, Axel put a fond smile on his face and said, "You looked so... detached that day in the mall. So upset, and _angry. _I want to teach you to enjoy Christmas, and most important look passed the pretty package modern day puts it in." He tapped the blond's temple lightly, laughing at the way Roxas' nose scrunched up at him. "Commit _that_ to memory." As the red head turned and began to walk away again he called back, "That, and maybe I just wanted you to notice me!"

Roxas stared after him, face twisted into an expression of confusion, "What does _that_ mean?!" He hollered, jogging to catch up with the taller man.

------

That evening Axel offered to take Roxas home, and the two of them stopped at Edea's House on the way. That sat at the same table: Roxas with a burger and a side of fries, while Axel got a basket of chicken fingers and a side of curly fries.

"So should I be afraid of tomorrow?" Roxas asked.

"Nah, I don't think so."

"What is tomorrow anyway?"

"Day Seven. The theme's Seven swans a-swimming."

"Oh god... more birds."

Axel laughed at him, "I was planning to out myself today or tomorrow if you hadn't figured it out."

"Oh yeah?"

"These two were going to get tricky, it just makes things easier this way."

"Ah."

"Anyway, I'll be along to kidnap you tomorrow afternoon sometime for your seventh day surprise."


	8. The Seventh Day

**Words:** 3555

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **This chapter shows the height of the 'angst' for Roxas you'll be seeing in this fic. If you're hoping for drama, you're in the wrong place.

**On the Seventh Day....**

------

**Tuesday, December 31****st**

_...Or, even bad guys have a grandma, and she's cool._

------

True to his word Axel showed up on Roxas' doorstep shortly after noon, grinning from ear to ear. Roxas, who had spent most of the morning so far sulking, felt better at the sight of him. He was feeling rather peeved with his brothers at that particular point in time as they normally they spent New Years night together. This year, though, all three of his elder siblings had something else to do. Cloud had somehow been talked into helping Tifa with the annual crowd at the Seventh Heaven Bar and Grill, (Word had it, it was 'repayment' for having to be 'rescued' the other day) and Demyx had volunteered to help as well. That was Demyx for you, though, and the fact that he'd be given a chance to sing his little heart out for no reason helped as well. Demyx loved any chance he had to show off his favorite talent, after all. As for Sora, his twin had been kidnapped by Kairi and Riku, and drafted into the Annual New Year's Get Together committee.

So, here he was, glad to see something to distract him landing so nicely on his porch as it were. Axel rocked on his heels and looked at him expectantly, "Ready to go then?"

"Yeah, let me grab my coat and stuff.. Unless you're going to drag me off without, like the girls did."

"Nah, I'll let you get them. Not only am I a sexy kidnapper, I'm a nice one to!"

"You keep telling yourself that." Roxas muttered, shaking his head, he really couldn't understand Axel. He was just plain weird.

When they were in Axel's car and driving deeper into the city the red head asked, "You know that New Year's Fair they have?"

"Yeah, I never go though."

Axel gave a low laugh, "I didn't expect you would have."

"Am I really that predictable?" Roxas asked teasingly.

"Only in this it seems."

Roxas sighed expansively, "Well someone's got to do it. The world might explode if there isn't someone to balance out all the holiday brought stupidity."

"You keep telling yourself that, Roxie. Anyway, that fair started yesterday apparently."

Roxas hummed in agreement, "Sora spent all day there with Riku and Kairi, that's apparently how he got drafted into the New Year's Gathering committee, or whatever."

"Ah yeah, Reno told me about that big get-together. You guys sure like your parties."

"Don't look at me! We might have started the gift exchange, but this one's not our fault."

Axel laughed at him, "Don't get your spikes in a twist. Anyway, as I was saying..."

Roxas pouted, feeling thwarted, "Here I was hoping I could distract you."

"You have to try harder if you want to distract me." Axel shot back, grinning wickedly. "Besides you're the kidnap victim, you're supposed to do what I say."

"I thought you were a nice kidnapper."

"Well, I haven't tied you up, or duct tape your mouth shut yet, have I?"

"True."

"Now, shush. Didn't your mother teach you about interrupting people?"

The look that overtook Roxas' face at that moment was perfectly wicked, "Yes. She said 'Do it as much as possible because usually they're just stupid, and your opinions better anyway. At least to you it is, but you're who matters to you anyway, right?' and then she'd say, 'Besides, if they're talking to you about it, they obviously want your opinion anyway.'"

Axel burst out laughing, "Well... we know where your attitudes from, then. Anyway..." Roxas opened his mouth to cut Axel off again, but the red head took a moment to take a hand off the wheel and shake a finger at Roxas before pointing at the glove box. "I have a roll of duct tape in there, and I'm not afraid to use it!" Once he was sure Roxas was at least humoring him in being quiet Axel went on, "We're going to spend some time at the market part of the fair. It'll be like.. a scavenger hunt."

At Axel's meaningful pause Roxas fought down his amusement and made his voice as flat and exasperated as he could, "What are we looking for?"

The cheerfully smirking redhead simply said, "Why, your present of course!"

"You know, you didn't exactly get me a present every day." Roxas said thoughtfully.

"Sure I did, just not in the usual sense of gift giving."

"Oh?" asked the blond, truly curious to hear Axel's explanation.

"Well, there was the fruit basket and the turtle doves; That was 'usual' gift giving... But then there were the days when you just enjoyed time with friends. What's more of a gift than that, you know? Nothing better than having a good time with the people you like."

Roxas turned to look out the window, watching the city streets roll by, and smiled at the red head's words. Axel, he realized, obviously didn't put much stock in the commercialized version of the holidays. At the very least he could expect the next several days to be eventful, just as the last six had been.

------

The New Years Fair took over a great deal of the downtown area where it sprawled from the little cookie cutter shops to the large park, part of which was usually cordoned off for the bigger festivities. Their destination was the aforementioned shops that were full of self promotion and, good cheer. The owners and employees parading samples, and treats to entice possible customers inside. Little stalls lined the sides of the roads with the people running them bundled up against the chill. A babbling crowd moved through the area cooing over trinkets, and sampling foods. All in all, it was chaos.

Roxas was already feeling apprehensive. All things considered he really didn't have much in the way of good experiences where holiday going crowds were concerned. Axel stood beside him beaming at the scene as if it was a favorite child. The red head grabbed Roxas arm and towed him down the street heading over to a stall displaying windswept clothing.

"Whoa, check out that!" Axel crowed pointing out a black t-shirt displaying a flaming skull design. "I love these things! they always have awesome designs, don't you think?"

Roxas tilted his head, eying the display critically, "I think it's nuts to be out here in this weather."

"Bah! Stop getting stuck on the little things, Roxas! This is all about _enjoying_ yourself!" Axel scoffed, and brushed aside the complaint. "Oh, what about that one?" This one displayed red and gold eastern-styled dragons, wrapped around a flaming yin-yang symbol.

"I'm seeing something of a pattern here." Roxas quipped.

Axel winked at him, "That ones all you." The shirt Axel was talking about was simple: Its design that of a white 'smiley' face with an angry scowl on it, and the words 'Go die' printed beneath it. Roxas cracked a small smile at that, "There we go!" Axel's triumphant cry startled a bit of a laugh out of the blond, and before he could think much on anything the redhead was towing him down the street again.

Axel's next stop was a display of dream catchers, below which was jewelry made of shells, horns, and beads. While Axel examined several shell pendants with animal depictions carved on them. Roxas turned his attention upward, looking at the fascinating weave of the dream catchers. At the corner of the display tent a wooden wind chime clacked a fine, hollow note.

Axel dragged him into one of the stores next. The scent inside was one of incense, and the closely gathered shelves were lined with statues of fantastical creatures, cute little animals going about their lives, weaponry hanging on the walls, and jewelry clustered in display counters. Several people puttered about the small room commenting on the things they liked. Axel exclaimed over several wicked looking knives, and a few adorable statues of baby dragons. Apparently, though, what he was searching for wasn't here and soon he dragged Roxas back out into the street.

The redhead's next stop was to grab a couple Styrofoam cups full of hot chocolate from a person selling them on the walk. It was a bit bland in flavor, Roxas thought, but otherwise it wasn't that bad. It was warm, and that was all that really mattered at that point. The pair continued to stroll along, ducking into shops and browsing stalls. They were nearing the end of the impromptu boardwalk, and Axel was looking a bit sulky. He'd yet to find whatever it was he was looking for.

"What is it you're trying to find?" Roxas asked.

"A present for you, like I said."

"Well, maybe if you were a bit more specific..." Roxas prompted, but his words fell on deaf ears as Axel was making a beeline for a stand near the end of group.

The stand had a small display of metal work done into different designs. Picture frames made out of spirals, and metal beads, and thicker ones with flowers or animals. Others looked sort of like Christmas ornaments: From animals, to plants, and other simpler, modern art, sorts of designs. Axel peered over some of these intently then grinned triumphantly and forked over some cash while pointing at one of them. By the time Roxas reached his side whatever it was he had bought had been bagged, and stowed in Axel's pocket.

Roxas peered curiously at the display, "What'd you buy?"

"You'll see!" Axel replied, his cheery mood restored in full. "Anything else you want to do here?" Roxas shook his head. "Good, c'mon!"

The blond found himself once more being pulled down the street toward where the shops and road terminated in the park. For a moment he thought that Axel was going to drag him off the other part of the fair, but instead the red head turned into the park proper. After a few minutes he released his arm and slowed his pace so that the duo were walking together as they meandered down the snow lined paths.

The park, for the most part, was quiet. Not too many people were wandering in this direction. It was mostly just a few elderly people throwing seed to pigeons, or the odd couple. Once or twice they ran across a group of friends hanging out as Axel directed their course further along the path.

They were just passing one of the more open areas when it happened. 'It' being Roxas got hit in the side of the head by a snowball. The blond gave a yell of surprised outrage, and stumbled to the side, right into the taller redhead. Axel immediately reached out and grabbed his shoulders to steady him.

"Hey! You two!" It was a familiar voice, and Roxas looked up batting snow from his spiky blond hair to see an equally familiar person coming toward. The man had his hand lifted, pointing at them, as if he could pin them to their place with his stare and upraised arm alone. Two others dogged his footsteps a few paces behind.

"You okay?" Axel asked, glaring over the blond's head. "What's this guys problem?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. His problem's that he has chronic idiot disease. That's Seifer, and his 'posse' Fuujin and Raijin."

As Seifer reached them Axel barked, "That was uncalled for!"

"The little punk deserved it, you know?" Raijin spoke up from the left.

"TRUTH!" Fuujin added.

Seifer sneered, "Yeah, and a lot more! I'm gettin' sick of this crap you pull every year, _Roxas_."

Roxas glared quietly, giving a very good impression that he was trying to glare a hole in Seifer's face. Axel spoke up again, coming to the blond's defense, "Oh come on? Is this over the other day, with the decorations? He didn't even trash anything! Just knocked a few things over. Talk about overreacting!"

"And who're you?" Seifer taunted, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "His boyfriend?"

"PRINCESS!" came Fuujin's contribution.

"Oh, right..." Seifer drawled. "You're his knight in shining armor! Gotta save the pretty princess, right?"

Axel clenched his jaw. He looked ready to knock Seifer on his ass, and while Roxas thought that'd be amusing he shoved Axel back with a sigh, "Weren't you the one who used to run around the neighborhood telling everyone how you were going to be a knight, Seifer?"

Seifer never got a chance to respond as there came a loud _thump,_ and Seifer pitched forward slightly. This was followed immediately by a scolding voice, "Seifer Almasy! You leave those nice boys alone!" The culprit turned out to be a short, old woman.

"Gran!" Seifer yelped, wincing backwards as the old woman shook her handbag at him. She'd used it to smack him a few seconds prior.

"I leave you alone for five seconds, and what do you do?" The old woman turned toward Axel and Roxas. The pair had been staring in dumbfounded surprise, but quickly pulled themselves together. "Oh! If it isn't Roxas, I haven't seen you in ages, sweetie. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine Mrs. Almasy, it was just a snowball."

Granny Almasy took his hand, and gave it a pat, "You'll have to come by sometime. Tell the same to your brothers would you?"

"Sure thing."

The old woman turned around and smacked Seifer on arm with her purse again to shoo him along as she ranted at him, "You better be glad your Grandda isn't still alive or he'd have..."

Whatever Seifer's grandfather would have done they never found out, because Seifer yelped out another "Gran!" which drowned Grandma Almasy's words.

"That..." Roxas said after several seconds of absolute silence. "was surreal."

"No." Axel choked out, obviously he was very close to breaking down in laughter. "That was _hilarious_!" After that Roxas lost Axel to the grip of laughter. The red head used the blond's shoulder to keep himself off the ground, though to be honest Roxas wasn't completely sure how he was still upright considering he'd descended into laugher at Axel's heels. The redhead had a rather infectious cackle.

"Hoo..." Axel wheezed helplessly, trying to get himself under control. "Oh, that was great, I think I'm crying." The redhead said as he pawed at his eyes.

"I can't breathe."

"Okay. I'm good." Axel finally managed. He straightened up and schooled his features in a blank expression, taking a deep breathe. He looked so silly that Roxas snorted and degenerated into another fit of laughter. When he finally slowed again Axel was watching him, a smirk on his lips and one fist propped on his hip, "You done, then?"

"Yeah, I think so." Roxas snickered. "I think I pulled something in the vicinity of my lungs though."

Axel threw an arm around his shoulders companionably, "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"You're such an idiot!"

"So you keep telling me."

------

Axel's meandering path eventually brought them to the pond near the middle of the park. It was a man-made affair, and thus had some areas that were generally free of ice year round. Roxas hadn't been here for awhile, but he could recall that it only froze completely in the worst of winter conditions. Axel tugged him over to the viewing deck: a simple wooden thing that protruded over the water, and had a roof; inside it was lined with benches and a couple picnic tables. Axel pulled him to one corner and pointed toward where a couple large, white birds were gathered across the width of the water from them.

"Huh, I didn't know we had swans here."

Axel grinned, leaning on the railing beside him. "Yeah, I don't think there's seven of them, but hey!"

Roxas laughed, "You managed to go traditional for two in a row now."

"Don't expect me to keep at it."

"Don't you have something for me?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. Geeze, Rox, you're really getting into this aren't you."

Roxas flushed, looking a bit flustered at being called out, "I might be enjoying it a little."

"Just a bit." Axel teased as he indicated a few millimeters of space with his thumb and pointer finger. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the familiar red envelope, along with the little plastic bag that contained whatever he'd bought earlier. He handed both over to Roxas.

Roxas opened the card first, flipping it open to see what sort of silly poem Axel had come up with this time:

_If you've been keeping score_

_I'm sure you know by now_

_With birds I am rather poor_

_Still I've managed somehow_

_And as for these_

_They like to say swans are beautiful_

_And I like to say geese_

_Are an evil handful_

_Swans are more_

_Than just a good look_

_Their wings pack a good right hook!_

_Axel_

"I think you outdid yourself that time."

Axel laughed jovially, "I hope thats a good thing."

"I'm not sure what you overdid. Either the silliness, or just the amount of words in that one..." Roxas continued as if he hadn't heard a word the red head said. "I don't think you'd make it as a poet." He added.

Axel sighed in a melodramatic way, "Life's not fair, is it?" This was directed at one of the swans which had slid on some of the ice and fallen to one side, flapping cumbersomely to right itself. Roxas smacked him with his card, and Axel found himself laughing again.

Roxas opened the bag, and ignored his cackling companion. When he reached in his fingers came in contact with something soft and he grabbed hold. He found himself gripping a soft red ribbon that was attached to well-made metal swan: It's neck bent in the classic curving fashion, and the beak touching it's breast, "You spent that entire time trying to find a swan to give me?"

"Mmhmm."

"Thanks."

------

They were on their way out of the park, and as they walked passed the area Seifer had assaulted them in Roxas got an idea. He slowed slightly letting the red head get ahead of him, and nabbed a handful of snow. Axel didn't know what hit him when it smacked into the back of his head. He whipped around to find a smirking Roxas standing there.

"Did you just...?"

Roxas nodded and silently quirked a brow.

"This means war. W-A-R– "

"Yeah, yeah, I got it memorized. Just try me, I've got three older brothers remember!"

"You're not the only one with an older sibling!"

With that Axel grabbed a handful of snow, packed it down, and hurled it at Roxas. The blond, however, was already moving and avoided it easily. It didn't take long for it to fall into a full scale one-on-one war. There was no sanctity, and snow was shoved down shirts, or right into faces in surprise attacks. At one point Axel managed to tackle Roxas into a snowbank, and about laughed himself sick watching the shorter man try and get back out of it. Roxas had his revenge later by tripping Axel face first into that self same snowdrift.

In the end the two lay sprawled in the midst of their devastated battle field. Axel was idly making a snow angel somewhere to Roxas left. "Well," said the blond. "That was fun."

Axel snickered, "It's been awhile since I had a snowball fight."

"My brothers and I make a habit of it. You should come over next year, and we'll all have one."

"Make the teams a little uneven won't it?"

"Bah, who needs teams. It's every man for himself."

"Sounds like fun, so long as your brothers won't mind." Axel stood up, and extended a hand toward Roxas.

"I don't know why they would." The blond allowed the red head to pull him up, and the two idly dusted snow from their jackets and hair. The conversation had reminded Roxas of his earlier bad mood and for a moment he glanced toward Axel, thinking about inviting his new found friend over for the evening. At least then he wouldn't be spending new years alone.

"What's up?" Axel's voice pulled Roxas out of his thought

"Nothing." Roxas said, sounding a little sullen. "Let's get going."

As the blond walked passed him Axel frowned, but said nothing, and followed him.

------

When Axel dropped him off Roxas paused, and leaned down to look back at the red head. Once more he thought of asking if Axel wanted to stick around, but again just shoved the thought away, "I had fun." he said lamely, unable to think of anything else.

"Me to. See you later, okay?"

"Right." Roxas nodded, and headed toward the door, feeling just a little lonely. He never noticed Axel frowning at his back before he left.


	9. The Eighth Day

**Words:** 3555

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N:** I am tired and wish to go art supply shopping, but the nearest art stores are... several hours drive in any direction. Boo. Anyway, Chapter 7 and 8 are two of my favorite chapters, so enjoy!

**On the Eighth Day....**

------

**Tuesday Evening, December 31****st**** to Wednesday, January 1****st**

_...Or, When Kidnappers Attack: The Cookie Edition._

------

"We're heading out now, Roxas!" Demyx hollered.

Roxas poked his blond head around the living room door frame to peer at Demyx and Cloud who were standing at the end of the hall pulling on their jackets. Demyx had the case holding his preferred instrument, a sitar, sitting at his feet, "Have fun."

"You to! I bet you're happy to have everyone out for awhile." Demyx teased, grinning at him.

"Yeah, sure, without you and Sora loudly screaming the count down in my ear I might actually preserve more of my hearing." Roxas replied, summoning up a smirk for his elder brother.

Demyx ruffled Roxas' spiky hair and bounced after Cloud, and out the door. Roxas turned and wandered back into the living room, where he sprawled back out on the sofa with his book. The pale glow the muted TV cast, and the lights from the Christmas tree were the only lights on other than the single lamp behind him that he was using to read by.

He'd been reading for some time now, and when he glanced up at the clock it was around 9 o'clock. Roxas got up, set the book aside, and headed for the kitchen. It really was awfully quiet without his siblings there. Opening a cupboard he rummaged around inside for the box of hot cocoa, nothing was better for a cold winter's night alone that hot chocolate right? A creak sounded through the empty house, and Roxas stiffened.

"It's just the house settling..." he muttered to himself. Really, it wasn't as if he hadn't stayed home alone before. Still, it was always vaguely creepy, particularly late at night. Then when you add new years, and drunken morons reveling... Yeah, his confidence in humanity had a tendency to take a major downfall around the holidays. Hey, it was justified!

Something rustled, and he could swear he could feel a cool draft. Frowning, the blond put down the box of cocoa packets and looked out into the hall, "What the..." The door was standing open. Now he was feeling a little nervous. Scowling he stepped into the hall, listening. The blond moved slowly down the hallway, attuned to every faint echo and creak. He'd just passed the doorway into the living room when he heard a rustle of fabric, and a shift in the empty space. Two hands clasped over his eyes turning him fully blind in the already dark hallway, and Roxas gave yelp of fright. He immediately jerked an elbow backward into his assailant's stomach. The person behind him released their breathe in a rush.

"Take it easy, Roxas. Geeze, you have some sharp elbows."

Roxas felt his mouth drop open in shocked surprise, "Axel?!"

"Who else?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You just scared the shit out of me! How the hell did you get in anyway?" He was damn sure he'd locked the doors earlier!

"Demyx." Axel sing-songed. He was much too cheerful for a guy who'd just gotten elbowed in the gut. So, Roxas elbowed him again. "Ow! What'd I do to deserve that?"

"If you have to ask that I'm going to do it again." Roxas growled.

"Ask what? I didn't say anything. Nothing at all."

"That's what I thought. Can you move you're hands?"

Axel huffed, "You're the one who complained about my kidnapping technique."

Roxas was quiet for a few moments, "Am I being kidnapped again?" he asked with a sigh.

"You betcha!"

"You've had this planned all day, haven't you?"

"Nope."

"I don't believe you."

"I've been planning it for longer than that. Like I said, I'm only winging it on some of them." Axel said as he lifted his hands away.

Roxas turned to face him, frowning faintly, "Them...? Wait, this is about...?"

"Yes and no! Part of it's for that, on the other hand it's about you spending new years with me."

"I just... have no words." Roxas drawled, unable to really think of anything to say to the irrepressible redhead. "I'm not sure there's anything that can be said to that. Well... I can think of one..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm an idiot. I know." Axel said cheerfully, not at all bothered by the fact that Roxas had been telling him this quite often.

"Yes, there's always that." Roxas agreed.

Axel rubbed his hands together, "Anyway, grab anything you'll need and let's go!"

Roxas shook his head, but even as he trooped off to grab a few necessary items and turn off the Christmas lights he was smiling.

------

"Where's your brother?" Roxas asked as he draped his coat over one of the barstools at the counter in Axel's apartment. Axel, himself, had simply tossed his over the back of one the chairs in the living room.

"Reno? He's at work. Apparently they're having some sort of party over there for the high rollers. I don't know any details, but that's what I got from his grumbling." Axel's voice said from behind the refrigerator door. As the redhead came back he held out a can of soda to him. "But, hey, it's better than what I was doing this time last year."

Roxas took the soda and followed Axel over to the sofa. The red head plopped down on the sofa looking immensely satisfied with himself. After a moment Roxas sat down as well and asked, "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway." Axel smirked. "It was just me, my mother, and about ten of her closet friends."

"Oh god, I really don't think I want to know."

Axel laughed, "Oh, it was hysterical. Terrifying, but hysterical. I think that was when I finalized the idea to move here with Reno. Well, that and Mom..." He waved his hands, unable to think of anyway to explain the sheer force of nature his mother was.

Roxas saved him the trouble, "I think I can understand. Anyway, what are we going to do for the next..."

"Two and a half hours, give or take." Axel offered after checking his watch.

"Yeah, that."

"Well, I'm sure we could dig out a pack of cards... or.."

"Or?"

"We invite Namine and Larxene over, 'cause I know they have some board games."

A few seconds later found them outside the door to the girl's apparent. Axel knocked and after a moment Larxene opened the door, grinning at the two of them, "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Axel gave a melodramatic gasp of sorts, and jerked backwards clutching at his throat, "No! You can't have my soul!"

Roxas coughed loudly, and Larxene gave her shark like smile, "Oh, I don't think I'd want it anyway. Not worth much."

"How cruel, I'll have you know a soul as genuine as mine sells high!"

"Been looking into that lately, have you?" Larxene snarked.

"She's got you there, Axel." Roxas drawled, amused. "Anyway, we came to see if you two would like to spend the next few hours with us."

"We were hoping you could provide entertainment." Axel added.

"What? Can't you two entertain yourselves?" Larxene leered.

Roxas flushed. Despite that totally innocuous statement he had a feeling that the double meaning practically oozing from the blond woman's voice was completely on purpose. Larxene, however, just winked at him while Axel spluttered beside him and turned to call, "C'mon Nami, let's raid the games!"

Namine giggled from somewhere out of sight, "Okay!"

Monopoly was well over with, Namine having thoroughly trounced them. They'd then played a rousing game of Candy Land which had left Larxene and Axel arguing over the unfairness of the sliding areas. Apparently Candy Land had a personal grudge against Larxene, but adored Axel. The two had spent the entire time sniping at each other with verbal barbs.

They were now immersed in a game of Disney Trivia Pursuit with Namine in the lead and Roxas a close second, followed by Axel. Larxene was loosing spectacularly, and hadn't manged to get any pieces of pie yet.

"I can understand Namine, I know she's been in love with Disney since she could make spit bubbles," Larxene complained. "But, I'm not so sure I get you other two."

"We have this game at home. Elton John." This last, of course, was to Axel who swore and nodded. Roxas rolled the dice again. "Sora's a Disney fan as well. He _always_ wins. Normally I make third. Demyx is the only one who can keep up with Sora."

"We should have Namine and Sora play sometime. It could be like.. Tournament of Disney or something." Axel commented.

"Ooh, hey it's almost time!" Larxene pointed to the TV where the crowd in Times Square had just picked up their cheering a few notches.

As midnight hit they touched their cans of soda (or in Larxene's case, glass of champaign. Earlier in the game of Trivia Pursuit when she'd realized she was loosing badly she had tried to 'spice the game up' and have them take shots if they got an answer wrong. The others had turned her down as Larxene was well known for her blackmail.) together in a toast to the new year.

Larxene stood up and moved off to the side, taking out her cellphone to make a call while Namine and Roxas resumed their battle for the final piece of pie. Axel sat by watching with a smile, and reading the cards for them.

Time went on, and Trivia Pursuit was switched out for other games. At some point both Axel and Roxas passed out on the couch .The results though, were amusing. Roxas was snoozing away with his head resting on Axel's shoulder, and the taller man's own head was resting a top of Roxas' blond spikes. Larxene picked up her phone again, and snapped a picture with the camera. Nudging her sister, she nodded toward the door. Namine giggled and carefully draped a blanket over the snoozing pair before gathering up the games. As the two crept out of the apartment Larxene was already sending the picture to the rest of their friends, a mischievous smile on her face.

------

Axel woke slowly. He floated groggily up from the depths of black slumber, into the dull darkness of his closed eyelids. The first thing he became aware of was the dull ache in his neck that suggested he'd slept on it wrong. The next was that there was a weight on his shoulder, and his arm was feeling rather numb. The red head slowly cracked open one bright green eye to find a mass of blond hair partially obscuring his vision.

"Aww, aren't you two just adorable." A voice cooed. For a moment Axel thought that maybe Larxene had invaded again, but then the voice went. "Cloud called me and told me to tell you that if you put one foot out of line he's going to have your head mounted on the wall like last years best kill."

"What?"Axel muttered, he would be the first to admit that his brain didn't really work that well this soon after he woke up. He lifted his free arm he pawed at his eyes. When he looked up again Reno was dangling his cellphone in front of his face, to display a picture on it. Axel squinted at it, then dropped his head back with a snort. "I'm going to kill Larxene."

Reno laughed and sauntered off, "Happy New Years, little bro."

"My new years resolution is to survive January." Axel decided, carefully getting up. Roxas was apparently a pretty deep sleeper as he was able to transfer the blond down to the couch without waking him.

------

When Roxas woke he gave a moue of distaste. He hated waking up! Sleep was just so nice... The blond attempted to drag his blanket up over his head, and return to the depths of sleep only to be foiled when something clattered nearby. Then, someone swore.

Roxas sat up, hair more tousled and spiky that ever, "Wossat?"

"Finally awake, sleepyhead?" an amused voice commented, followed by a bit more clattering.

Roxas turned his head toward the noise to find Axel collecting several bowls off the floor, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find a mixing bowl."

Roxas wasn't sure he wanted to know, still as he wandered over to his coat and began to dig around in the pockets he asked anyway, "Why?"

"To bake, of course!"

Roxas felt a strange sensation creep down his spine as he fished out a toothbrush from his pocket. After having been kidnapped by the girl's he was immensely grateful that Axel, at least, had allowed him to collect a few amenities. His mouth tasted like something died in it.

"You can bake?"

"Uh... It can't be too hard can it?"

The blond paused on his way toward the bathroom wielding toothbrush and toothpaste, "...Why don't you just sit down, and wait for me?"

Axel shrugged and plopped down on a barstool, "Okay?"

------

"So, you can bake?" Axel asked, echoing the blond's earlier question, as Roxas cracked an egg neatly and dumped it into the mixture.

"After a fashion. All of us can cook, all right. Mom made sure of it."

"Ah, yeah. My mom tried to as well, but unfortuantely..." The redhead leaned down and pulled out the baking sheet with the first batch of cookies. Then he turned and he showed it to Roxas. There were several little gingerbread ladies that appeared to be wearing poofy skirted dresses. They brought to mind the classic, if not overdone, imagery of the milk-maid. These maids were also slightly charred around the edges. "No matter what I do, I always burn whatever I'm making."

Roxas stared, "How did... But I set the heat myself! Geeze..."

Axel laughed, and rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno, man... It doesn't matter what it is, it always burns though."

"Maybe you should just sit this out. You can decorate them." Roxas decided, shooing the taller man toward the counter with the different sprinkles, and frosting.

"Probably for the best." Axel agreed amiably.

"How much of this stuff did you get anyway?" Roxas asked, poking through the sea of ingredients in search of a measuring cup.

"Enough for eight dozen."

Roxas straightened up, looking toward the red head in realization, "Eight maids a-milking?"

Axel grinned, "That's right. Well some are for us of course, but I figured we could take the rest as a contribution to that little new years get together I've heard so much about."

"Do they know about that?"

"Who do you think helped me get the stuff?"

"Ah, that'd explain why Sora got kidnapped by Riku and Kairi so early this year. I'm still wonder just who all is helping you."

Axel looked thoughtful, poised with a tube of red icing in one hand, "Honestly? I don't even know. It's sort of... gotten out of my hands in a way."

Roxas fetched the latest batch out of the oven and walked over to deposit them in the little 'cooling station' near Axel's 'decorating area.' "Kind of nice to know that I've got so many people who want to chip in just to get me to enjoy the holidays."

"Is it going to pay off?"

"Are you going to be around next year?"

Axel looked up to meet Roxas' steady gaze in surprise. The blond, however, seemed perfectly serious. The red head stood up and leaned over the counter toward Roxas with an easy smile. Roxas stared up at him with wide, startled blue eyes. Axel lifted a hand and swiped his finger across the blond's cheek, "You've got batter on your cheek." he said playfully, and then popped his finger in his mouth. "This stuff's pretty good."

As Axel sat back down, Roxas turned away his face flushed bright red. "And, Roxas?" The blond looked back over his shoulder. "I'm notoriously hard to get rid of."

As Roxas went back to mixing more of the batter he was wearing a small smile.

------

"Call you're brother would you?"

Roxas fetched his cellphone from his coat pocket and hit the speed dial for Sora. After a moment someone picked up, but the voice was female, _"Sorry, Sora can't answer the phone right now... He's a little tied up!"_

"Hi, Kairi." Roxas said dryly.

"_Roxas!"_ The girl giggled. _"What can I do for you?" _

In the background he could hear Sora yelling for him to come and save him, "...Did you two tie Sora up in garland again?"

"_Maaaybe." _There was a slight clatter, and Roxas could hear Kairi yelling at Riku to give the phone back.

"_You're brother's a walking Christmas tree, we require several cookies for ransom."_ Riku's voice was pitched dark and low in imitation of those kidnappers on TV.

Roxas laughed, "Well, I'm holding the cookies ransom unless I get blackmail photos." Axel who had just walked over carrying a couple glasses of milk gave him an odd look before retreating to grab the plate of cookies he'd left behind.

"_It's a deal. We'll be over to collect after we get those pictures for you. And get the garland off Sora." _The last bit was added almost as an afterthought.

"See you then." Roxas snapped his phone closed as Axel dropped onto the couch next to him.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" the red head asked, ironically.

"Sibling insurance." Roxas said lightly. The blond reached forward and plucked up one of the gingerbread maids and examined it. "We make a pretty good team." he decided with a smirk. He nibbled at the cookie's arm as he turned to look toward Axel.

The red head reached forward, and tapped Roxas on the nose with the corner of a vivid red envelope, "And here's your card."

Roxas reached up and took it, tearing it open and looking to the usual scrawl within:

_Cookie dough, Cookie dough_

_Gingerbread, but not a man_

_Only the maids stayed_

_'Cause the men took and ran_

_Axel_

Roxas gave him an incredulous look, "Where do you come up with these? When do you?"

Axel shrugged noncommittally, "It keeps me entertained for a few minutes."

Roxas shook his head, "You're insane."

"But I'm fun."

The blond couldn't really argue with that.

------

Riku, Sora, and Kairi finally arrived and trooped in to start collecting boxes of cookies. Sora immediately tackled Roxas with a hug, "Oh, thank god! You have to save me from these crazy people."

Roxas rolled his eyes at his twin, "And here I thought they were your friends."

"They've gone to the dark side! Particularly Riku!"

"Well, yes, that's because Kairi was born on the dark side... Being female and all."

"Hey, I'm sweet and innocent here." Kairi hissed, smacking the blond upside the head.

"Yeah, and that totally proves it." Axel drawled, handing her a box of cookies.

Roxas shoved Sora off him, and the brunette sniffled melodramatically before accepting several boxes from Riku who smirked at him, ruffled his spiky brown hair, and shooed him off. Sora pouted the entire way and Axel gave the last couple boxes to Roxas.

"I'll see you at the party?" the blond asked.

"Of course! Wouldn't be a party without me."

"Right, I forgot about that."

Sora returned and threw an arm around Roxas' shoulders, "C'mon you're staying with us tonight."

"But what about..."

"We stopped by on the way over and I grabbed you some stuff."

"Figures."

Axel laughed quietly as he listened to the bickering twins, then closed the door as they left. He threw himself back down on the couch he pulled out his phone to make a few calls, and double check the preparations for tomorrow.


	10. The Ninth Day

**Words:** 2072

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **This is another short chapter that I really don't like all that much. So, there it's not as descriptive as usual, and you can use your imagination to make the scene as you want. I do like the end though, even if I didn't actually plan for it to end the way it did. In the end it all worked out anyway!

**On the Ninth Day....**

------

**Thursday, January 2****nd**

_...Or, return of the bird's, and they have friends._

------

Riku and his three older brothers, a set of triplets by the name of Yazoo, Loz, and Kadaj, had been orphaned when Riku was around eight. They're parents had died in a car accident: A head on collision with a drunk driver. The children had been left in the hands of their father's brother, their Uncle Sephiroth. Sephiroth was a powerful man who had immense business sense, and had made a great name for himself as well as his company.

The New Years Get-Together was a tradition started by him, and was, in fact, a two-fold party. While Sephiroth hosted a fund raiser of sorts up in one of his manor's fancy ballroom/dining room combinations, the boys had eventually gotten it into their heads to invite their own friends over. So, while their uncle's rich friends rubbed elbows up above, the younger silver haired set had begun having their own little get together. It'd been that way ever sense.

Over the years, though, the older silver haired trio had drifted away. Kadaj had followed his Uncle into the fold, and the other two had moved out of the city to pursue their own careers. As a result the secondary gathering had been over taken by Riku's and his friends. His two best friends being Kairi and Sora meant that it had spilled over just as the Gift Exchange had. It had been that way for a few years now. Riku was a generally level headed individual, and instead of bothering the staff at the manor, he just got a few of the friends to help annually. As such, the party had reached what it was now: A comfortable get together between a group of friends.

The guests were arriving now, and Roxas had spent the time between talking to his friends as they arrived checking to see if the insane redhead had shown up yet. By the time things were in full swing the only vivid red head he'd seen was Reno, who was nearly being force fed his own pony tail by Tifa for some reason.

Riku glanced toward Sora and Kairi standing nearby and gave a nod to the red head, who giggled cheerfully and disappeared into the crowd.

------

Kairi maneuvered her way around several people as she hurried toward where she knew Axel was situated. As she caught site of the red head she lifted her hand to give an A-okay gesture, "Every thing's go. He's right over there."

Axel had, of course, arrived with Reno. However, he was currently sequestered amongst a group of girl's going over a few last minute concerns. He followed Kairi's pointing hand to the blond target of his plotting sulking near a wall and being harassed by, who Olette told him were Pence and Hayner, two of Roxas' closest friends. "Are you sure she can do it?" He didn't want to doubt her, really, but the scowl of Roxas' face made it pretty certain he wasn't exactly in the mood for revelry.

"Trust me," Selphie said from his left. "If Rinny can't do it, no one can."

Axel shot her a glance, "What makes you so sure?"

Aerith, standing to his right, laughed softly, "Well... she did get Leon to dance."

"Yeah!" Yuffie chirped from beside Aerith. "At one of these very parties a few years back. It's how they met!"

Axel looked over to where the sullen brunette was reclined against a wall, Cloud was standing nearby. Together they seemed to make a sort of set of two cranky statues, "Okay, yeah, the girl's a miracle worker. Whose up last?"

"That'd be me." came Namine's soft voice, as she lifted a hand to catch his attention.

"Right." The red head handed over a red envelope. "Well, we're all set. Go ahead and give her the signal."

Yuffie whooped, and Selphie did a little jittery dance before lifting her hand and waving frantically. Across the room Rinoa looked up, and flashed a smile before turning and making a beeline toward the unsuspecting blond man.

------

"You look bummed, Roxas." Hayner teased as he slung a friendly arm around Roxas' shoulders. "Did your cat die or something?"

"I don't have a cat." Roxas responded dryly.

"Exactly!" Hayer exclaimed, and jostled the shorter blond.

"You know Roxas... He and the holiday season just don't agree." Pence put in, smiling faintly.

Hayner sighed loudly and shook his head, but before he could say anything more they were interrupted by a polite voice, "Excuse me." The three looked up, and Rinoa beamed at them, "Hi there."

"Uhh..." was Hayner's contribution.

Rinoa laughed, "I need to steal Roxas."

Roxas had, by now, had plenty of experience with females and the theft of himself, "What for?"

She pouted at him, her hands clasped behind her back, and rocked on her heels, "I was hoping you'd dance with me."

"I don't– " he started to say, but Rinoa cut him off.

"Yeah, I know." she sighed. "You don't dance. They never do. Don't make me try my hypnosis on you. I might have gotten better since Squall." she winked at him, smiling cheekily.

"I think I'm fi– " Roxas should have known he didn't have a choice in the matter because Hayner and Pence shoved him forward, and Rinoa grabbed his wrist. He was unceremoniously towed into the midst of the dancing crowd.

Rinoa laughed, "I'm having an eerie sense of deja vu here." She came to a halt and manhandled him into position before dragging him into a moderately paced dance. Poor Roxas was too busy trying not to kill himself to notice the way things were being maneuvered around him.

By the time that particular song was winding down, and he was hoping for an escape he was already caught in the little web and didn't even know it. So as Rinoa grinned at him, and said, "Thanks! I think it's time for me to go drag Squall away from the wall!"

Roxas found himself pulled into a final dance move full of flourish. The next thing he knew Rinoa was gone and Selphie was grinning at him, "Hi, Hi Roxie!" she cheered.

He found dancing with Selphie to be fast paced, and wild. She seemed to like whirling around a lot as well, and he had no choice but to follow along. Selphie was something like a force of nature, and that Irvine could put up with her... Well, the guy had to have guts, that was for sure.

It was as Selphie disappeared only to be replaced by Olette that he realized there was no escape. At least she was a lot calmer than Selphie, and kept it to some simple foot work at the most. She smiled sympathetically at him.

"Olette, what the hell are you all doing?"

"That would be telling." she laughed. "But, I'm sure if you think about it, you'll understand."

A few moments later she was replaced by Tifa who was, in Roxas' opinion, rather intimidating. She laughed at the look on his face, "Don't worry I'm not going to bite your head off."

Next came Yuffie who was as bad as, if not worse than, Selphie. However, it was during Yuffie's wild, squeal filled spectacle that he spotted a flash of red off to the side.

Aerith was next, and for that he was infinitely glad. She chuckled at the sight of him, ruffled and out of breathe, "We tried to pace it out a bit so that you'd get a break before the... ah, more excitable girls." Roxas nodded, feeling a bit winded still, "Time for me to go. Don't worry, you're about done."

Kairi stepped up next with a giggle, "Having fun?"

"I'll let you know when the room stops spinning."

"Yuffie is kinda crazy isn't she?"

"Understatement."

"Well, pull yourself together soon, 'cause theres one more crazy one after me."

"Oh god, can't you just knock me out and tell them I fainted or something? Anything would be better."

Kairi laughed out right at him then, "If you're well enough to turn on the melodrama you can take it!"

Rikku was next, "Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you. I don't think anyone can outclass Yuffie!"

Dancing with her was still enough to leave him wanting to hack off his own legs. At the very least if anyone told him he needed to exercise more he could point this day out and tell them they were insane.

If he was keeping count properly there was only one left, and Namine stepped up to the plate so to speak. She smiled at him, "Well, you survived."

"Barely. I'm going to feed him his own hair, or make Tifa do it. She seems to have experience with that."

The blond girl just smiled at him. When her dance ended she stepped back and offered him the red envelope she'd been given earlier. Roxas took a few moments to savor the feeling of being stationary for several seconds, before he opened it:

_You've danced nine dances with nine ladies,_

_And while I'm no lady, true_

_Dare I ask you to dance once more?_

_Axel_

Roxas looked back up to find that Namine had slipped off. Axel, however, was standing just a few feet away, hand extended. The blond stood there for a moment, hesitating for a second or two then reached out to take the red head's hand, "So long as it's nothing energetic." he said dryly. "I'm about dead here."

Axel laughed jovially, and tugged him in closer, "No worries, we'll take it easy."

The red head was true to his word, and Roxas let him lead them without a fight. He was too wiped out after the chaos that was the nine women to really put any thought into it. As the music wound down again Axel nodded toward the edge of the crowd, "I'm going to go find Demyx. He was hording water bottles earlier, and I'll grab you one."

"Yeah. I'm going to go sit down before I die."

Axel snickered and disappeared into crowd to ferret out the elder blond while Roxas drifted over toward the set of doors that lead out onto a balcony. They weren't open, but at that moment the chilly air sounded rather inviting. The blond stepped out, and after a moment of looking, located a stone bench to one side. He dropped gratefully onto the bench, and slouched down. The cold air, and cold stonework was a shock after being inside, but he wasn't planning on staying out for too long. Just enough to get his pulse down from rapid fire to livable.

Axel reappeared shortly with not only the bottle of water, but both their coats slung over his arm, "Cloud saw you duck out and brought me these." he sounded amused.

Roxas tugged his coat on with a snort, "Yeah, Cloud's a bit of a worrywart. Probably because he's been looking out for all of us for years." He took the water bottle Axel offered, and took a long gulp. "I hope I never have to do that again."

Axel grinned, looking a bit evil, "Yeah, well I couldn't help myself."

Roxas swatted at him ineffectively, and Axel sat down next to him only to have Roxas smack him upside the head, "You deserved that."

Quiet fell, and the main sounds came from the music inside as it switched from song to song. When Axel spoke again his tone was uncharacteristically serious, "I really like you, Roxas."

Roxas didn't even bother looking up from his contemplation of the water bottle, "I know." He looked up then, before Axel could go on and smiled faintly at the red head. "I mean, the Twelve Days of Christmas? True Love? Sora even called you my 'secret admirer' once."

Axel flushed slightly, "Yeah, well..." then shaking his head he grinned. "You're a practical guy, aren't you?"

"And you're extravagant, but it's a good kind of extravagant."

"Hmm, we should date then." Axel teased.

Roxas stood up and gave a laugh, "I think we already are, if you think about it. I should probably go collect my brothers. Anyway, I'll be looking forward to tomorrow." Without another word the blond wandered back inside to leave Axel gaping after him in surprise. Well, until the red head started laughing anyway.

As for Roxas? He was grinning as he hunted down his siblings.


	11. The Tenth Day

**Words:** 2260

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **This chapters more intermission than anything, it doesn't even have Axel in it really! But ah well, some sacrifices must be made for the sake of my plot plans.

Cliche warning~! This chapter is... blah, cliche, but I couldn't really figure out what to do with it until like... the day before I wrote it. I changed my mind like five or six times.

**On the Tenth Day....**

------

**Wednesday, January 3****rd**

_...Or, an interlude in the regularly scheduled program._

------

When Roxas woke up that morning it was to the odd sight of a card hanging near his head, a card that had been attached to Philbert's head via scotch tape. The image on the front of the card was of a paunchy little noble man, with all the frills and decadence associated with the classic mental image Disney often presented. He appeared to be, well, leaping. Roxas snorted sleepily and snatched the card. He couldn't help but wonder how Axel had managed that one. Then again the redhead had a lot of help, he'd bet money that one of his brothers was the culprit.

The inside of the card was blank but for the written message in Axel's slashing scrawl:

_Today's going to be a bit different than usual, because I've got to make preparations for tomorrow. So, I've set up something to entertain you for the day. I know it's hard to find something to replace my wonderful self, but I tried. _

_A few of my elves are scampering around leaving clues for you to follow to a Tenth day gift. You'll have to get them all to get the one you really want. They aren't hard, just a sequence, really. But they say that the journeys half the fun!_

_Axel_

Below that little missive was what Roxas guessed was his first 'clue':

_The foundling Second Day._

His firs thought, of course, went to the chocolate 'turtle doves' that sat on his beside table, one of which he'd already eaten a few days prior. Roxas glanced toward the box, but there was nothing there. He took a moment to get up and get ready for the day while mulling it over, "The foundling...Oh, heh, duh."

The next clue was obviously on the front door, considering that's where he'd found the second gift. True, the first gift had been in the same place, but that would ruin the point of the game, he supposed. So he wandered downstairs to the front door. There was nothing on this side, so he pulled it open and checked the other. The card was there, taped to the outside of the door. The blond grabbed it and ducked back inside.

The card was like the first, though inside it bore only the next clue:

_Day Three's disgraced hero._

Roxas wrinkled his nose at that. Disgraced hero? What? Thinking back to the 'third day of Christmas' he went over what had happened. That had been the gift exchange, and he and Axel had spent most of it sitting outside. It could mean that the next card was attached to the wall they had sat on, and Roxas _had_ insulted Santa Claus out there. The blond grabbed his coat and went to grab his phone, it was then that he noticed the house was empty.

Almost as an afterthought he grabbed his keys as he was walking out, and locked up. He had a feeling he wouldn't be back for awhile. His first destination was to check the wall, but he fund nothing. It was true that he'd insulted one of Axel's 'heroes' here, but it was also true that they'd declared that conversation never happened. Roxas glanced down the road, and rolled his eyes.

It didn't take him long to reach Seifer's house, and there it was: Attached to the plastic Santa still sitting in the snow in the yard. Judging by the lack of vehicle Seifer wasn't home. Roxas walked up and tore it free, then flicked it open to find his next destination:

_The vulture in the songbird's nest._

"I wonder if Larxene knows you called her a vulture?" Roxas asked of the absent redhead. That one at least was a complete no-brainer. Then again, Axel had said it was meant to be easy. The blond figure he was mostly just after the last clue or two which would have less to do with the previous days, and more to do with _today_.

As he wandered back home, hoping that one of his brothers had left a vehicle for him to make use of, he made a mental note to stop somewhere and get himself some breakfast.

------

When Larxene answered the door she handed over the card without a fuss. Before he opened it Roxas asked, "So, whose he got playing his 'elves'?"

Larxene grinned sharply, "I can't tell you, but I can say it's hysterical."

"I'm sure." Roxas said dryly, and opened the card.

_The bouncing bride-to-be._

He took a moment to consider, after all, Larxene was technically engaged as well. She, however, hadn't really been involved in the fifth day (Nor was Larxene particularly bouncy) so that left... "Geeze, he's really giving me the run around."

"I think that's the point. Ta ta!"

------

When he pulled into Selphie and Irvine's place he had to follow the sound of voices to locate the couple. He found the two of them out a ways, with Irvine standing beyond one of the fences. The long haired man had his hat off, and was scratching the back of his head while staring at a cow.

Roxas sidled up beside Selphie, and absently scratched Cerberus' ears as the big dog bounced up to greet him with a saliva covered tongue, "What's going on?"

Selphie, who was giggling at her fiancé, said, "She's one of the older cows. A blue ribbon girl in her day, but she's really stubborn. He's trying to get her back inside. It's too cold for the old girl. Irvine wants her to live out the rest of her days you know? She was apparently one of the first one's he raised."

"Ah." he nodded, looking at cow sceptically. She reminded him a bit of old lady Almasy.

"Oh, right, here you go Roxie!" she held out the sought after card to him. This one said:

_Brave the feathered fold._

Roxas turned, and looked toward the milling crowd of birds at the other end of the farmyard. He thought he could see something small and brightly colored attached to the wall of the small outbuilding. Selphie patted his back when he groaned, "Just don't show them fear!"

"Easy for you to say." the blond muttered. "Fetch, Cerb, fetch!" Cerberus tilted his head, and stared up at him like he was an idiot. "Figures."

He walked toward the flock, and was pleased to find the big mastiff dogging his heels. The chickens clucked, and the geese honked angrily as the dog bounced into their midst. Roxas felt rather smug. He was able to make it to the building's side without incident. Immediately he grabbed the card and beat a hasty retreat. Cerberus followed him, slinging saliva everywhere. The dog apparently thought the whole thing was good fun.

Once he was well away he flipped open the card and read the next step:

_The seventh day's view._

Roxas wandered over to Selphie's side again, "Good luck with..." he waved at Irvine who was, at that point, talking to the large heffer.

"You to, Roxie." Selphie giggled.

Giving Cerberus a last pat he headed off. He'd have to back track all the way to the park.

------

When Roxas arrived at the viewing deck he glanced over it, looking for the card. It wasn't on the railing where they'd looked at the swans, and there were a couple of people loitering around. He hoped no one had taken it, or something.

"Are you looking for something?" A kind voice asked. Roxas whirled around to come face to face with a man with long fair hair who smiled amiably at him.

"Yeah. I'm looking for a card..." Roxas answered.

"My friend and I." he indicated a taller, dark haired man who was standing a few feet away. "Saw a couple of people stick something to the sign over there. Maybe that's your card."

Roxas turned to look toward the sign that announced the viewing deck's 'name' as well as a 'Do not feed' that was generally ignored. He could indeed see something attached to it. Turning back around to thank the man, he found that the helpful stranger and his friend appeared to have already gone.

Shaking his head, Roxas headed over, and grabbed the card off the sign. The next clue was:

_Back track to the door to new years._

He paused on his way back to the car as he thought back to the fourth card, he hadn't seen anything on the door to Axel's apartment back then, and he was sure that was where this one lay, "They're either timing this well, or playing phone tag." he muttered.

------

The card was right where he thought it would be, and he pulled it off the door without any fuss. Inside it said:

_The silver-haired party host._

"Riku, eh?" Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his phone and dialed his twin. "Sora?"

"_Hi, Roxas!"_

"Where's Riku?"

"_What makes you think I'd know?"_

"...Did you seriously just ask me that?"

Sora laughed sheepishly, _"Yeah, I guess that was a stupid question. We're at his place."_

"See you in a few."

------

He found Riku and Sora in Riku's room. Sora was sitting on the floor at the foot of Riku's bed, while his silver haired best friend was laying on it. The two were playing some sort of fighting game, and both of them were wearing elf hats. Roxas paused, and started laughing at the sight of it.

Sora paused the game and grinned at him, "Having fun?"

"I figured you or Demyx were involved, but Riku?"

"I talked him into it."

"I'm sure you did." Roxas rolled his eyes. "Love the hats."

"Great aren't they?" Sora cheered as he fished out the card and handed it over.

"Can I take it off now, Sora?" Riku asked.

"No."

"_Please?_"

"Noooo."

Roxas snickered and opened the card:

_Ask the silent lion about the angel._

"The silent lion?" He muttered thoughtfully.

"Yeah, supposedly that's the first of the final main clues." Sora said happily.

"I'd suggest calling Leon." Riku drawled.

Sora smacked him, "You're not supposed to help! Now you have the wear the hat the rest of the day!"

Riku looked horrified, "What? No! Sora!"

Roxas left them bickering as he pulled out his phone again.

"Hey, Cloud, do you know where Leon is right now?"

"_Yeah, we're on break. Why?"_

"I believe he has something for me."

"_...I'll tell him you're on you're way."_

"Thanks."

------

Leon was waiting outside the large office building he and Cloud worked at when Roxas showed up, and immediately handed over the card. However, before he could leave Leon added, "Rinoa lives in a large place not to far from where Riku lives. I wrote the address and a few directions in there for you as well." Without another word Leon turned and walked back toward the wall of glass doors into the building.

Roxas opened the card, and alongside Leon's tidier writing Axel's messy scrawl declared:

_Follow her to Ten Lords._

"Doesn't he mean the ten lords?" He shrugged the thought off, after all he knew he'd find out soon enough.

------

Rinoa apparently lived in a large manor house on the edge of the city limits, beyond Riku's home just as Leon had said. The major difference between Riku's home and this one was the scattering of outbuildings. Roxas could hear the sound of horses.

Rinoa greeted him with a dark coated border collie like dog at her heels, who she introduced as Angelo, and lead him toward one of the horse barns.

Inside it was warm, with the strong sent of horses and hay, as well as the faint smell of leather. Rinoa lead him down the center aisle, and he found himself peering at the large animals. They watched him with big soft eyes accompanied by the rustling of their movements.

Ten Lords turned out to be a prize show jumping horse, he was a big, dark colored, elegant creature. He peered at Roxas for a moment before giving a haughty sounding snort, and turning around in his stall.

"... I just got dismissed by a horse." Roxas drawled.

Rinoa laughed and indicated a nearby box and card that sat on a shelf close by, but well out of reach of the horses "Well, there's your prize."

Picking it up Roxas opened the red envelope. There was no poem this time just a simple:

_Here's your prize!_

_See you soon,_

_Axel_

"I wonder what he's planning." He muttered. Picking up the box he took off the top to reveal a small, silver horse statue. It looked remarkably like the horse in the nearby stall. He picked the delicate looking thing up carefully, and turned it over in his hands.

Rinoa smiled, "I wonder where he found that."

"Who knows." Roxas replied, laughing softly. "He seems to have a knack for these things."

"Hmm..." Smiling slyly Rinoa offered. "How would you like to ride a horse?"

Roxas' head jerked up, "Uh.. I've never..."

"Well, it wouldn't be Tenny, of course." Ten Lords snorted as if to say there was no way he'd let some plebeian fool like Roxas near him, anyway. "But I could help you!" Rinoa plucked the silver horse from his fingers and carefully put it back in it's box before tugging him off. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

Roxas sighed, knowing it was futile to resist. As he'd found out the day before Rinoa was hard to dissuade once she made up her mind.

Still, maybe she was right... It might be fun.


	12. The Eleventh Day

**Words:** 2302

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **Honestly I'm a little disappointed with myself concerning this chapter. I should have done more research on certain parts, but I was running of time so it was kinda rushed a bit. Anyway, despite its faults I hope you all enjoy it.

**On the Eleventh Day....**

------

**Thursday, January 4**

_...Or, you should probably listen to that niggling little instinct._

------

Axel awoke that morning with an impending sense of doom. For some reason he had this odd feeling he shouldn't get out of bed. He couldn't really fathom why he was having such a feeling when, after all, things had been going swimmingly. He had all his plans laid out for today. Everything would be perfect!

So he shoved aside the sense of foreboding with aplomb and, got up. Reno was looking at him like he'd been dropped off the back of a garbage truck due to Axel's cheer. Axel, for his part, just ignored his elder sibling and went about his morning.

------

Roxas on the other hand, hadn't woken up with any sense of doom. He'd woken up straight from a deep sleep into mind burning wakefulness at the sound of Sora and Demyx hollering in horror. Roxas shot up out of bed and ran down the stairs, in nothing but a light t-shirt and a pair of boxers, to come skidding into the kitchen. The sight that greeted him was nothing short of amusing, though probably only to him. Sora and Demyx both looked like drowned rats as they flailed about. The plumbing in the sink had somehow gone to hell in spectacular fashion, apparently, because there was water _everywhere_.

Cloud stood a few feet in front of him, head tilted in a way that told Roxas that he was frowning mightily at the scene in front of him. Between his siblings, and the irony of the pipes going on this day, of all days, Roxas really didn't think he could be blamed when he descended into a laughing fit. Cloud sent him a scathing look and stomped off, most likely to call someone.

------

When Axel arrived at the residence of the Strife brothers he found a large, white van sitting outside emblazoned with jaunty letters proclaiming: Presidential Plumbers! Under that small text said 'We provide service even a President can't fault!' Axel decided that whoever came up with that name and line was a sandwich short of a picnic.

The door was answered by an amused looking Roxas who didn't even greet him. Instead Roxas just grabbed his arm, and tugged him into the house where he was then dragged him down the hall to the kitchen where the blond's three brothers were peering around the door frame. There were three men gathered in the kitchen: One looked like his father had been a wall, the second was, if possible, lankier than Axel, and the third was currently crouched and had his head under the sink while he muttered to himself.

"What happened?" Axel asked, looking curiously from the smirking blond at his side to the trio clustered around the sink.

"Dunno, Sora and Demyx killed the sink." Roxas said, his smirk widening.

"No we didn't!" Sora hissed.

"Suuuure."

"We don't know how, or why, but the sink just..." Demyx made an uncertain motion with his hands. "Yeah."

"Huh. Well... can I steal Roxas for the day?"

"Yes." Cloud grunted. "Get him out of here before I strangle him."

Axel shot the eldest blond a bemused look, but before he could say anything a resounding _CLANG_ echoed through the room, and the guy under the sink gave a howl of pain as he fell back onto his rear end. The thin lanky man gave an aggrieved sigh that seemed to speak volumes, "Laguna, how many times must we tell you to watch your head?"

The man on the floor gave a nervous laugh, "Eheh..."

Glancing to his left Axel noticed that Roxas looked ready to start snickering again, and grabbed the blond's arm to pull him away, "You're in a good mood."

Roxas laughed, "It's been a funny morning, though I seem to be the only one who finds it amusing."

"What _is_ so funny about it?"

Roxas turned, and slung his arms around the taller man's waist, leaning up on his tip toes to bring them closer to being eye to eye. For a second Axel thought the blond was going to kiss him. Roxas smirked, a taunting, knowing smirk, "Pipes, Axel, Pipes." Then he turned away to grab his coat, leaving the red head floundering in momentary confusion. "So, where are we going?"

Shaking his head out of a Roxas induced la-la land he grinned crookedly, "That, would be telling."

------

Axel's destination apparently lay outside, or just within, the city limits since that's where they were headed. At least, until the car went the way of the sink, and spontaneously died on them. Roxas, for his part, couldn't help snickering over the fact. Honestly, it was funny! Axel snorted and let his head thunk against the steering wheel. He was getting a niggling feeling that he shouldn't have discounted the doom he'd felt when he woke up.

Roxas, meanwhile, pulled out his phone and asked, "Should we call a mechanic?"

"I'll have a look first."

The blond shrugged, Cloud was the only one that knew anything about vehicles in the family, except possibly their dad. With that thought, as Axel disappeared behind the popped hood he called Cloud to see what his brother suggested. The harried elder blond gave him the name and number of a mechanic, and basically told him to piss off with about five words. Apparently, Cloud's mood hadn't improved.

Axel returned shortly, shaking his head. Before he could even open his mouth Roxas hit the dial button on his phone and handed it over to Axel. The red head rolled his eyes at Roxas, and the blond shrugged at him. Axel might be the big planner, but someone had to be practical and think of the smaller things. He had a feeling that Axel had a tendency to get a little too caught up in the grander schemes.

Axel snapped the phone closed and sat down again with a roll of his eyes, "They're sending someone out. The guy thinks it's probably just a frozen line somewhere, said its pretty common around now."

Roxas gave a choked laugh, "A frozen pipeline?"

Axel looked at him oddly. Roxas just snickered helplessly.

------

It wasn't long before the pair found themselves at Cid's Garage. The cranky owner of the place shooed them off with a bad tempered, "I'll have it fixed soon, get lost."

Inside the 'office' of the garage they found they weren't the only ones there. In fact there appeared to be a group of around seven old men sitting at a card table smoking, of all things, pipes. Roxas, quite frankly, was beside himself with amusement by this point. Why they were there, he had no idea. The apparent ringleaders were a couple of men that were younger than the aforementioned, but older than both Axel and Roxas. One had graying black hair, scars, and an eye patch (Later Axel could be noted to have asked quite loudly, "Was that guy wearing an eye patch? Seriously?"), while the other was a suave looking blond. Upon the pairs entrance the lot of them glanced up.

"Well, well, what have we here a pair of jokers in need of a repair?" the blond man drawled.

The dark haired one snorted, "Just deal your cards, man, leave the kids alone."

"Kids?" Roxas drawled, amused. "Seems you're the ones playing games."

The dark haired man hooted, "This one has spunk!" He stood up and leaned over the table, "Name's Xigbar, that guy's Luxord."

"And we're a bunch of suckers." One of the old men muttered. It was then that Roxas noticed that they appeared to be playing a card game of some sort. He thought it might have been poker.

"Roxas, he's Axel."

"Axel? In a garage?" Xigbar cackled. "That's rich!"

"At least I don't apparently sucker old men into poker games." Axel shot back.

Xigbar raised his hands in a gesture of surrender grinning crookedly, "No one suckered anyone, they hobbled over of their own free will."

One of the old men laughed, "Keep talkin' like that and I'll send you hobbling with my boot in your ass."

Xigbar cackled, "I don't think you could make these guys do anything anyway, they're old Cid's buddies or somethin' Tell ya what, why don't we deal you two in while you wait for Cid to fix your car up?"

Axel glanced at Roxas, and raised a questioning brow. The blond shrugged, "Sure... What're we playing."

Luxord grinned as the two joined the group at the table, "Poker, of course."

------

In the end it took a little longer than expected simply because Cid insisted on going over the car and making sure everything was in proper working order. ("Like hell I'm gonna let your asses drive off and end up getting called and bitched out by that brother of your's because you got blown up or some shit like that!" "How do you know Cloud anyway?") In the end though they managed, and decided to stop for a slightly late lunch before proceeding.

Once they were heading for Axel's destination again the blond leaned over and turned on the radio. The second it came on the surprising sound of, well, bagpipes floated from the speakers. Roxas cracked up, and Axel gave the radio a weird stare, "What the hell is that?"

Apparently the blond wasn't going to be any help. Axel wondered if the poor guy had finally cracked. Shaking his head, he fiddled with the radio until it was on something decent.

"So," Roxas said once he was under control. "Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"

"Nope!"

Roxas sighed exaggeratedly.

------

Where they were going was apparently a historical site set back into a small forested area. It was quiet, and dim there: The only real sounds as they stepped out of the car was the distant sound of snow melting and dropping from tree branches. The main building was the looming figure of what Roxas thought was an old looking church. It was built with the Gothic European cathedral like design in mind, with fluted columns and twisted carvings.

"One of my Professors owns it." Axel murmured from beside him. "I had to spend yesterday not only finding something that would work for the theme, but also convincing the old man to let me show you the place."

"I didn't even know this was out here..." Roxas whispered back. There was just, an air to the area that made loud noise seem inappropriate.

"Neither did I until one of my other friends mentioned it. C'mon." Axel took Roxas' hand and pulled him toward the front doors, where he fished out a key and unlocked them. The massive wooden doors groaned loudly as Axel pushed them open to allow them to slide into the shadowy interior.

The statuary inside were like a homage to wood winds: From men playing flutes and piccolos to fauns prancing about with panpipes. At very end of the main theater a resplendent pipe organ sat comfortably.

"From what Zexion said, the guy had this place built as a sort of museum for his collection." Roxas started slightly as Axel spoke directly into his ear.

"Weird things to collect." Roxas muttered back.

Axel gave a crooked grin, "He's a weird guy."

Roxas snorted, and peered closer at one of the statues nearby. Behind him Axel dug through his pockets looking for the card, and came up empty handed. Roxas turned to find the red head searching through his coat rather frantically, "...Axel?"

"Damn." Axel said. "It's not here, but I know I put it in my pocket this morning!"

"Axel?"

"Maybe it's in the car..."

"Axel!"

Axel whipped his head up to face the blond, "What? Where?"

Roxas rolled his eyes, "What's the matter?"

"I can't find the card." Axel sighed.

"Let's check the car then." Roxas said, and grabbed Axel's hand to lead the lanky red head back outside.

------

In the end the card was no where to be found, and Axel was feeling a little down at that. After all, he'd planned everything out perfectly, or so he thought. The duo were sitting at that self-same table at Edea's House once again, with Axel poking at his food a little morosely.

Roxas, however, couldn't quite understand Axel's melancholy, "Axel."

The red head looked up, "Yeah, Roxas?"

"It's nothing to be upset over, I still had a great day." After all, the entire day had been one coincidence after another, and though many of them could be added up to 'bad' things Roxas had found amusement in all of them. Not to mention wasn't it Axel who'd taught him that enjoying the holidays was about more than physical gifts?

"I know, but... It's just..." Axel waved his hand unable to really find words for the disappointment he felt over the whole ordeal, and shrugged.

------

Back home Roxas found that the plumber's were long gone, something he had expected, but one never knew. Axel had walked with him up to the porch, and the blond turned around to face him, "There's still one more day." He pointed out, trying to get the normally enthusiastic redhead out of his morose mood once again.

"Yeah." Axel smiled faintly, and reached up to cup Roxas' cheek with one hand. His eyes flickered over the blond's face for a moment, then he sighed and stepped back, "Tomorrow."

Roxas frowned at Axel's retreating back then turned, and went inside. He could hear the sound of the TV from the living room, and after shucking his coat he made his way there, "Cloud?"

Cloud grunted a noncommittal response.

Roxas rolled his eyes, "What's Reno's number?" Roxas dialed it in as Cloud gave it to him, and waited for the older red head to pick up. "Yeah, hey, Reno could you do me a favor?"


	13. The Twelfth Day

**Words:** 1105

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: **Just the epilogue to go after this folks. It's sort, but its too the point. And really, what more could you ask for?

**On the Twelfth Day....**

------

**Sunday, January 5****th**

_...Or, it's the grand finale! Let's try not to blow it._

------

Axel's bad luck seemed to be following him. He'd stayed up late tearing apart the apartment in search of the missing eleventh card, and still hadn't located it. As a result Axel had slept in that morning, and only woke up when a bleary eyed Reno prodded him awake. When he realized the time Axel was up like a shot and running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

It was then that he realized he couldn't find the twelfth day card either. He knew he'd gotten enough, he could have sworn there had been twelve of them! He even remembered penning the usual silly poem into the eleventh. He'd been putting off the twelfth simply because he didn't have any idea what to write in it, but now it was gone as well. With a groan Axel sunk down onto one of the bar stools, and stared at the counter space where he could have sworn he'd left the cards.

"What's got you all mopey?" Reno grumbled as he puttered around the kitchen and tossed together a cup of coffee.

"Yesterdays card went missing, and todays is gone as well." Axel whined.

"Yeah, well if you don't get moving you'll be late to take your boyfriend to even _see_ the twelfth day theme."

Axel jumped up like someone had attached springs to his feet and raced off to grab his coat, and keys. As Axel hurried out the door he called over his shoulder, "Look for that card for me, would you? And let me know if you find it!"

Reno snorted into his coffee, "Yeah, sure." he muttered, and walked over to the couch where he promptly flopped down. The redhead gave an exaggerated sigh of comfort, grabbed the remote, and flipped on the TV. He did so enjoy when he had the time to slack off!

------

Every year the end of the New Years Fair was sent out with a bang. That bang just happened to come in the form of a New Years Parade that involved what Roxas considered to be a lot of crazy people being stupid, and marching around in the cold. He was normally dragged out there for the candy if nothing else, but this year his siblings had disappeared. Roxas wasn't at all surprised when Axel showed up to drag him out to it instead.

They arrived a few minutes late, and things were already underway. As such they found themselves weaving through the thick crowds, looking for a place that had a good enough view. Roxas scanned the crowds, peering around the people for open spaces. He spotted a gap in the crowds and grabbed Axel's sleeve, then tugged the taller man after him as he maneuvered his way there.

Floats shaped like characters, or just draped in decoration drifted by, surrounded by people on foot in wild costumes. Fancy cars carried by the important people of the city, and children squealed around them as candy and small things were passed (and tossed) out into the crowd. Well trained horses clopped down the thoroughfare, and Roxas recognized Ten Lord's among them. The haughty horse with his head held high, and his tail up, with an elegant high stepping prance. He spotted Irvine there as well riding on a large, placid looking bay near the back of the herd.

Not far behind the group of horses came a small pack of dogs, some of which their owners had seen fit to dress up accordingly. Among the people he spotted both Selphie and Rinoa, both with their respective canine companions: Angelo and Cerberus.

The rising crescendo of brass instruments announced the band section making its way down the route, and underlying the flying notes of the horns came the bone jarring rattle-thump of the drums. Roxas grinned wildly.

Axel sighed as the drums reminded him of his personal plight. He reached out and rested a hand on Roxas shoulder to draw the blond's attention, "Hey Rox..."

Roxas glanced back and up at him, "Yeah?"

"I gotta tell ya, today's card went missing to, and.."

Roxas cut him off, "It's fine Axel, you're the one who said holidays aren't all about gifts, remember?"

"Yeah, I just... I wish things could've gone right."

Roxas gave him an odd little smile, and turned back toward the marching band. As Axel looked back up he saw someone detach themselves from the group and jog over to them. To Axel's surprise the person (who he thought looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place name to face; though considering the wild blond hair and the tattooed face he felt he ought to be able to. He thought maybe his name was Zill, or something like that.) was carrying a familiar red envelope in their hand. They handed the card off to Roxas, and winked at the pair before hurrying off to catch up with their place in the parade.

Roxas opened the envelope and smirked at what he read before looking up at the befuddled red head, "What's it say?" Axel asked curiously.

Instead of handing the card over Roxas turned and reached up to grab Axel around the back of the neck and tugged the red head down into a kiss. Axel's hands immediately came up to clasp on Roxas' hips, his eyes wide in surprise at the bold move. However, at Roxas' insistent tug on his hair, and the pressure against his lips, Axel smiled into the kiss and promptly returned it. Someone nearby wolf whistled, and there were more than a few cat-calls and jeers, but the couple was lost to it all.

When they pulled apart Roxas held the card up so that Axel could read it:

_For 12 days now by True Love_

_You have been thusly gifted_

_So now it's your turn_

_Grant Santa's wish_

_and give him a kiss._

Under that the card had been signed by what looked like all of their friends. From Larxene, to Reno, to the other Strife brothers, and Selphie, Irvine, and Rinoa. Some names he wasn't even sure he recognized.

Axel looked down at Roxas, taking note of the grin the blond was sporting, "You knew about this didn't you?"

Instead of answering Roxas just glanced across the street, and there among the crowd on the other side Axel could see a great deal of their friends. Larxene included with her ever present camera. They apparently noticed him looking because they waved cheekily back at him.

Axel just laughed, and pulled Roxas back in for another kiss, or maybe eleven, because wasn't twelve just a wonderful number?


	14. Epiphany

**Words:** 393

**Total Words:** 36007

**See Chapter One for Standard Disclaimers/Warnings**

**A/N: Please read the Authors Note at the end of this chapter! Thank you!**

**Epiphany....**

**Monday, January 6****th**

_...Or, take a bow 'cause its curtain call._

Reno reported that apparently Larxene hadn't been the only one out there with her camera that day. In fact there had been a live taping of the parade that he had watched on TV. Somehow they'd ended up right across from one of the filming guys, and as a result pretty much the entire city had seen their little scene at the parade. The results had made them something of an amusing sensation, and in the end their friends had more or less soaked up the fame. Roxas had a feeling that by now everyone in the entire city had heard about Axel's Twelve Days of Christmas.

It hadn't really been a good thing in some instances. Some of the less open minded people had been real jackasses, but in the end no one important really cared. A lot of people even found the whole thing hopelessly romantic, and Selphie had proudly joked that all the boyfriends in the city now had a lot to live up to.

In the end, they were here: Sitting at that table in the cozy little diner on the edge of town.

"So," Axel said with a smile. "How do you feel about Valentines Day?"

"Hate it." Roxas said without missing a beat.

"I figured as much."

Roxas grinned at the red head, "Can't wait to see what your planning."

Axel laughed jovially, "What makes you think I'm planning anything?"

Roxas quirked a brow at him sardonically, and went pointedly back to his bowl of sea-salt ice cream. Apparently a question of such blatant stupidity didn't warrant a reply.

Axel leaned forward, and caught Roxas' wrist as it transported the spoonful back toward the blond's mouth. He stole the bite off it, and made a face, "Did you put extra salt in this or something?"

"You're an idiot." Roxas grunted, frowning at his empty spoon.

With a crooked grin Axel replied, "But, I'm _your_ idiot."

Laughing, Roxas leaned over to pull Axel into a kiss.

A few tables away several of their gathered friends used the moment to pelt the oblivious couple with wadded up napkins. Roxas thought he heard Sora mutter something about getting a room.

As for card number eleven? No one ever did find out what happened to it, but Roxas hypothesized it probably fell out of Axel's pocket when the car died.

**End**

**A/N: **All right, I'm pretty sure I know the main question you're all wondering right now so before you can all scream "SEQUEL?!" at me I'll lay it out. There may, or may not, be a sequel. It depends on both my schedule, and your thoughts. I've got a couple Plotbunnies gallivanting around for _two_ yes, thats right, _two_ sequels for Christmastide. One is related to Valentines Day and follows directly, the other would follow that one.

However! The mentioned second one, would be a chapterfic, and have more drama and darkness to it (Because despite how much I enjoyed writing this I enjoy drama a lot -laugh.- I'm just wondering if you all would like that, or prefer that this be kept to its cute, fluffy, funny basis.

Finally, I just want to thank you all for the support over the run of this fic. You've been wonderful reviewers, and have blown my mind with your support, kind words, and that you've stuck with this fic the whole.. two weeks or so that I've been posting it. You guys are great.

Until Later,

White Mage Koorii


End file.
